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posted by janrinok on Monday November 27 2017, @08:27PM   Printer-friendly

England's National Health Service is urging parents to get their children vaccinated for the flu ahead of the holiday season to protect grandparents and other vulnerable relatives:

Flu vaccines administered through a nasal spray rather than an injection have been rolled out this autumn for two and three-year-olds, and children in reception class and years one to four in primary school. Children are super-spreaders because of the greater likelihood of them contracting flu at nursery or school, where germs are passed on at a rapid rate. But only 18% of school-age children have had the nasal spray immunisation, according to the latest figures.

Prof Keith Willett, NHS England's medical director for acute care, said: "Flu can be spread more easily by children, especially to vulnerable relatives such as older grandparents, those with heart or lung conditions and pregnant family members. Last year, millions of people missed out on their free vaccination and yet it's one simple, common sense step to help us all stay healthy this winter."

With less than a month until Christmas, the NHS is urging parents to book their children in for the free vaccination to help curb infection over the festive season, when family get-togethers can spread the infection.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror (a tabloid) claims that Russian agents are spreading anti-vaccination propaganda in the UK in an effort to destabilize the country:

Russian cyber units are spreading false information about flu and measles jabs in the UK, experts warn. [Ed's Note: The current flu immunisation is applied via a nasal spray - there are no 'jabs' involved.] Vladimir Putin is believed to want to erode trust in US and European governments. The state-sponsored units are spreading the lies on social media to destabilise Britain, it is claimed. The Kremlin has previously been accused of attempting to influence Brexit and Scottish independence. Now, it is feared it is trying to create distrust over flu jabs and the MMR measles vaccine.

[...] Security services are so concerned over the threat to public health and security that Government departments have been ordered to monitor social media and flag up risky articles. Health chiefs have had emerg­ency meetings over the spread "fake news" over vaccination campaigns. [...] We can reveal public health officials are investigating whether an outbreak of measles last week in Liverpool and Leeds was fuelled by parents not vaccinating children due to "false information read on the internet".

Also at BBC. BBC's collection of newspaper covers.


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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by bob_super on Monday November 27 2017, @10:12PM (3 children)

    by bob_super (1357) on Monday November 27 2017, @10:12PM (#602204)

    If you're worried about the mercury in vaccines, don't go outside, and get pure O2 delivered to your house daily.
    Air pollution demonstrably kills thousands a year. Vaccinated people (everybody by your sorry ass) are living longer and healthier lives than ever.
    Stay inside, breathe canned air, and keep your kids away from mine.

    Yes, crazy CEOs can make terrible decisions. But the people executing those decisions are not all so trapped in their job that they will execute them silently, and be okay with poisoning millions of people.

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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by edIII on Tuesday November 28 2017, @02:46AM

    by edIII (791) on Tuesday November 28 2017, @02:46AM (#602295)

    But the people executing those decisions are not all so trapped in their job that they will execute them silently, and be okay with poisoning millions of people.

    That's demonstrably false with Big Pharma. Too Big To Jail has already played out. I forget which company, but if the rules were enforced, the whole company should have been destroyed and sold for parts. Instead, they were too importantly economically (read: it made rich people poor). There have been many in that industry complicit with the harm that has happened in studies carried out in bad faith. From the junk scientists just wanting a job, to the sales marketer aware of inconvenient data being suppressed, to the doctor who only cares about kick backs.

    They've already been let off the hook in cases where people have died under the delusion they were receiving medical care, and not a pawn for shareholders to get richer.

    You're not benefiting from science, but rolling the dice with greedy people, in the *hopes* you're not one of the ones who rolls craps.

    --
    Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
  • (Score: 1, Troll) by edIII on Tuesday November 28 2017, @03:00AM

    by edIII (791) on Tuesday November 28 2017, @03:00AM (#602302)

    You roll the dice that the CEO of the company making your vaccines isn't an avaricious piece of shit. Personally, I think that's a bad fucking bet.

    Be unhappy me with all you want. What you can't do is create an argument engendering trust back in Big Pharma giving the metric fucking shit tons of proven examples where they don't give two shits about our health when greater profits are to be had. Too Big To Jail is an unfortunate reality, and when an entire industry is bereft of both regulations and consequences, it's the weakest and most vulnerable amongst us that reap what has been sown.

    You show me pharma companies with a multi-billion dollar bonds, bunches of those executives rotting in prison (justly for their actions), and maybe I might start trusting again. Till then, it's as crazy to trust them with their products, as it to use the products with blind trust.

    If I did have a child you can bet our ass that I wouldn't accept them being subject to the endemic corruption of the American Medical Industry.

    --
    Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 28 2017, @08:17AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 28 2017, @08:17AM (#602407)

    Ah, the good old "either go out of your way to avoid everything unhealthy, or be fine with twice as much harmful stuff". Yet another argument from the pro side that helps the anti side more than it helps themselves.

    The anti side doesn't need Russian help, they are getting plenty of help from the pro side.