Current conventional wisdom says that if you have asthma, you really need that yearly flu vaccine. With the new complication of “swine flu” (or H1N1 virus), many people are even more alarmed by the prospect of flu season. Many are breathing a sigh of relief that a new H1N1 vaccine is in the works.

However, any medical treatment will have pros and cons. This applies to flu vaccines as well.

One of the first aspects to review of any treatment is ingredients. Allergens may be present in vaccines. One example is egg protein. The viral material for some vaccines is grown in bird’s eggs. This can be a real danger for people with life-threatening egg allergies.

Of even more concern is whether the flu vaccine actually does what we think it does. The primary objective with vaccines is to protect people by allowing them to develop immunity to a serious illness. However, recent research is casting some doubt on the effectiveness of flu vaccines.

Apparently, babies under 24 months show no benefit from receiving the flu vaccine. In fact, research done in 2008 which reviewed data from 51 studies showed that injecting infants with a vaccine for the flu was no more effective than a placebo.

Adults also don’t receive the expected benefits, according to research done in 2006. A review of 48 studies showed that the vaccine reduced the risk of flu by a mere 6 per cent. Public health campaigns for the flu vaccine suggest that getting the shot will keep people out of hospitals and emergency rooms. However, the flu vaccine did not change hospitalizations or ER visits.

For asthma patients, the results were no better than the general population.

In one study, 800 children were compared where only half received the flu vaccine. Then the two groups were compared on three factors: clinic visits, emergency visits, and asthma hospitalization. The research showed that the vaccine did not reduce these occurrences.

Nor was Flumist (the new nasal flu vaccine) the innovation that it has been touted to be. The Flumist website claims that the product actually results in less influenza infections than the traditional flu shot. However, recent research presented at the 2009 American Thoracic Society showed that Flumist does not prevent influenza-related hospitalizations, especially in children with asthma. Researchers indicated that children who received the flu vaccine actually had a higher risk of hospitalization than children who did not get it.

So, should you get a swine flu vaccination? Should you get the seasonal flu vaccination? Every vaccine has pros and cons; all vaccines have side effects, from extremely mild to severe.

Research your options. Discuss your options with a trusted health professional. Be informed before you decide to get vaccinated.

Source: Natural News