Flu shots don't save elderly
2005-02-17 17:10:28.390679+00 by
Dan Lyke
5 comments
Hey, you know all of those recommendations that the elderly should get flu shots? And all of that hoopla this past season about running low? Well...:
Logically, doctors would expect flu deaths to drop as more older people
are vaccinated annually. But researchers found the influenza death rate
fairly stable between 1968 and 2001, even though the percentage of
seniors getting shots increased from 15 percent in the 1970s to 65
percent in 2001.
(via)
So as we see studies which show that half of all bankruptcies are attributed to medical costs (via) maybe we should be thinking about ways that we can divorce policy from drug company sales better, so that we're dispensing less useless medication as a matter of government recommendation.
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comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment You missed the part where made: 2005-02-17 18:10:42.489983+00 by:
baylink
Those studies also show that more of the people who went BK from medical bills *had* insurance than not. Much more, if I heard the ATC piece correctly. (Marketplace? I forget)
#Comment Re: made: 2005-02-17 18:15:23.231473+00 by:
Dan Lyke
Yeah, from the abstract linked above:
...75.7 percent had insurance at the onset of illness...
And
...out-of-pocket costs average $11,854 since the start of illness...
#Comment Re: Flu shots made: 2005-02-17 23:02:47.584344+00 by:
radix
The part I found interesting and commonsense was that they recommended vaccinating *children* instead of the elderly. As everyone knows, the disease gets spread in schools (okay in airlines and public transportation as well), so stopping them from becoming carriers makes a lot of sense. I was very disappointed that the CDC, instead of running with that ball, made the technical point about comparing vaccinated vs unvaccinated elderly and basically went into defensive mode.
radix
#Comment Re: made: 2005-02-18 00:00:14.955314+00 by:
Dan Lyke
My impression, though, is that part of letting things spread through the childhood population is that you build stronger immune systems by letting them fight stuff off rather than solving the little problems with immunization.
#Comment Re: made: 2005-02-24 00:58:31.159662+00 by:
Mark A. Hershberger
Today the WHO asked world leaders to prepare for a pandemic of the Avian Flu virus that has been going around SE Asia.
They say we're overdue for one since they usually happen every 20-30 years.
http://flu_news.openweblog.com/1219.html