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from the cough-cough-great-idea-cough-cough dept.
Despite push for a universal flu vaccine, the 'holy grail' stays out of reach
It is the holy grail of influenza science: a universal flu vaccine that could provide protection against virtually all strains instead of a select few. A burst of recent headlines have suggested that we might get one soon. Just last week, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases released a strategic plan for the development of a universal flu vaccine, prompting the White House science office to proclaim on Twitter that the goal is "closer than ever."
Experts, however, say we're really not there yet. And to be honest, we can't necessarily even see there from here. "I don't think we're that close at all," Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy. "I think the kind of work that's gone on has been critical and important, but it's only the first 5 feet of what would need to be a 100-foot rope."
There's no doubt that there is some momentum. The release of the strategic plan — which outlines for scientists the research that NIAID sees as critical and that it would be willing to help finance — signals renewed interest in the quest for a universal vaccine. So, too, does a bill — introduced by Sen. Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts — calling for $1 billion in government spending for the project.
Previously: Progress Reported on Universal Flu Vaccines
Related: Susceptibility to a Flu Determined by Your Very First Virus Encounter
(Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Saturday March 10 2018, @02:34AM (1 child)
It might help your argument to link to a site that isn't a known promoter of pseudoscience and fake news.
"OMG - Some vaccines contain mercury compounds!!" Newsflash: there's an ingredient probably sitting on your kitchen table that contains a metal that will catch on fire and could even explode when it comes in contact with ordinary water. And the other component is a poisonous gas!!
But wait -- I forgot some people failed chemistry 101 where the individual elements in a compound don't determine its properties. Sodium chloride (table salt) isn't much like sodium or chlorine. And not all mercury compounds are highly toxic.
And even so, if you don't want that tiny amount of mercury compound in your flu vaccine, just get a dose from an individual ampule, which doesn't have the tiny amount of preservative that is, ya know, designed to keep a large batch from becoming contaminated with dangerous bacteria and making people sick.
As for the rest of your argument, yes -- nurses can be stupid too. I know some of them.
And as for effectiveness, it's an H3N2 year, and the egg production method causes mutations that likely lead to less effectiveness for vaccines for that strain (which is itself a highly mutating version).
But hey, why bother with science when you can quote some BS website that's out to scare people. (Also, if you have a conspiracy theory about vaccine companies and making money, I suggest you look into how much money is made by complete quackery companies promoting "natural health" cures, methods, "superfoods," etc. Lots of people are out to make money... Only some base their methods on evidence.)
(Score: 2) by Entropy on Saturday March 10 2018, @06:37AM
At least I had a citation. Having an organo mercury compound(more easily absorbed than metallic mercury) in something you inject is bad. If you're scared of lead based paint, I think it's pretty reasonable to be scared of injecting mercury into your veins. Yeah, it's a quote from wikipedia. If you think organic mercury compounds are good things to inject, be my guest. I don't think comparing them to table salt is fair, though.
Thiomersal is very toxic by inhalation, ingestion, and in contact with skin (EC hazard symbol T+), with a danger of cumulative effects. It is also very toxic to aquatic organisms and may cause long-term adverse effects in aquatic environments (EC hazard symbol N).[20] In the body, it is metabolized or degraded to ethylmercury (C2H5Hg+) and thiosalicylate.[11]
As to how useful the last flu vaccine was it's well known it was nearly useless. I'm just suggesting the entire flu vaccine product is not only useless, but actively harmful and a scam to siphon money into the rich's pockets based on people's fears.