LogFAQs > #933368611

mrduckbear posted...

4800 people have died from the flu in the 2019-2020 season as deaths are expected to DOUBLE since last year as the count is now at 32, not counting Lacie's as of mid January 2020

Huh. Always thought it was more of an inconvenience than a danger.

Shadowbird_RH posted...

It wasn't the flu, it was Sepsis. Sepsis is a condition where the body's own immune system goes berserk and attacks the body and organs, killing very quickly with only a small treatment window. From what I've heard, it can be triggered by just about any kind of infection. Even the minor infection I have in my left big toe could get me killed apparently.

Influenza by itself isn't much of a threat unless you're very young, very old, or very weak due to other medical conditions. Sepsis though, while rare, is deadly serious.

Oh, that makes more sense.

reason posted...

Same here. EVERYONE I know that gets the shot inevitably gets the flu. And they can't figure out why? Why do you think it's FREE?!

The problem with flu shots supposedly is that they're targeted towards one strain so you're vulnerable to the other major strains. According to the Mayo Clinic, the vaccine is only 50-60% effective and if you have some conditions can lower your immunity. Personally, I've never had it as an adult (and think I skipped it in my teens as well) and iirc I've also never had the flu. Of course, the other side of the coin is the herd immunity argument where vaccine-takers at least partly subsidize everybody who doesn't take the vaccine.

mrduckbear posted... Do you think vaccines should be FREE?

Depends on the cost, availability, and public risk. There are certainly older illnesses where making vaccines widely available helped, although iirc in many of those cases they weren't free and it still worked out.

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