Reason for optimism
Name
Doshi 2008 BMJ - Letter - Reason for Optimism - January 25 2008.pdf
Size
380.99 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
d066d4e808ba02c7dbdd758cff254808
Author(s)
Doshi, Peter
Date Issued
January 2008
Journal
British Medical Journal
Publisher
British Medical Association
Citation
Doshi, Peter. “Reason for optimism.” BMJ 336.7637 (2008): 172-.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claims that the single best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get vaccinated each year.1 Such confidence in influenza vaccines seems misplaced for two reasons. Firstly, if CDC viral surveillance data are correct, then in recent years true influenza viruses have caused an average of only 12% of influenza-like illness2 (the syndrome the public thinks of as "flu" and, most critically, the syndrome the public is trying to avoid). Since influenza vaccine does not work against non-influenza viruses,3 how can the agency responsibly claim vaccines are the best way to prevent seasonal flu?
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in Science, Technology and Society
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39465.484421.3A
