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Even with the H1N1 pandemic flu going around you should still be vaccinated against the seasonal flu. revere has the details. Read. Enjoy. Be educated.

I guess that means Dr. Doug Bremner must think that revere is an idiot. After all, Bremner tells us that the flu vaccine is all a plot for big pharma to make money, don’t you know? Subtlety and weighing of risk-benefit ratios in a manner that doesn’t turn into an anti-big pharma rant is beyond him, as both Peter Lipson and I discussed (and Peter discussed again) not too long ago.

Fortunately it is not beyond revere to rationally weigh the risks and benefits of being vaccinated:

The truth is this. No one knows what’s going to happen. We’re all guessing. But in my estimation, the risk-benefit calculation for vaccine side-effects and flu is so markedly in favor of the vaccine that I made the decision to get vaccinated and that’s what I’d advise others, too. How confident am I? I’m confident it is the most rational thing to do given what we know.

Exactly. It is quite possible to look at the evidence and science and decide that the risk-benefit ratio is so much in favor of vaccination that it makes sense to be vaccinated. It’s also possible to look at the same literature and be less enthusiastic. You don’t need to appeal to big pharma conspiracy theories, and, in fact, such appeals only muddy the issue unnecessarily.

I’d love to see Bremner try to counter the arguments of a highly respected senior epidemiologist who can calmly discuss the pros and cons of flu vaccines from a scientific and practical standpoint based on evidence. Bremner points to “experts” who say that vaccination against the seasonal flu is a waste of money and time, but here’s one expert I bet that Bremner can’t refute. I won’t hold my breath waiting for him to try, though. It’s so much easier just to say that you’re an idiot if you get vaccinated against the seasonal flu. Obviously, in Bremner’s world, revere must be in the thrall of big pharma and pro-vaccination ideology.

Just like me, I guess.

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Posted by David Gorski

Dr. Gorski's full information can be found here, along with information for patients. David H. Gorski, MD, PhD, FACS is a surgical oncologist at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute specializing in breast cancer surgery, where he also serves as the American College of Surgeons Committee on Cancer Liaison Physician as well as an Associate Professor of Surgery and member of the faculty of the Graduate Program in Cancer Biology at Wayne State University. If you are a potential patient and found this page through a Google search, please check out Dr. Gorski's biographical information, disclaimers regarding his writings, and notice to patients here.