Medscape Excerpt: ... Fluzone High-Dose elicited significantly higher hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titers against all three influenza virus strains that were included in seasonal influenza vaccines recommended during the study period.[8–10]
In one study, prespecified criteria for superiority, defined as when the lower 95% confidence limit of 1) a ratio of geometric mean HI titers is >1.5 for at least two strains and 2) the difference in fourfold rise of HI titers is >10% for at least two strains, were demonstrated for persons aged ≥65 years who received Fluzone High-Dose compared with Fluzone for influenza A(H1N1) and influenza A(H3N2) antigens.
Prespecified criteria for noninferiority to Fluzone were demonstrated for the influenza B antigen.[6,9] Whether the higher postvaccination immune responses observed among Fluzone High-Dose vaccine recipients will result in greater protection against influenza illness is unknown. …
Fluzone High-Dose elicited significantly higher hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titers against all three influenza virus strains that were included in seasonal influenza vaccines recommended during the study period.[8–10] In one study, prespecified criteria for superiority, defined as when the lower 95% confidence limit of 1) a ratio of geometric mean HI titers is >1.5 for at least two strains and 2) the difference in fourfold rise of HI titers is >10% for at least two strains, were demonstrated for persons aged ≥65 years who received Fluzone High-Dose compared with Fluzone for influenza A(H1N1) and influenza A(H3N2) antigens. Prespecified criteria for noninferiority to Fluzone were demonstrated for the influenza B antigen.[6,9] Whether the higher postvaccination immune responses observed among Fluzone High-Dose vaccine recipients will result in greater protection against influenza illness is unknown. …
Does the Vaccine Matter?
BY SHANNON BROWNLEE AND JEANNE LENZER
Whether this season’s swine flu turns out to be deadly or mild, most experts agree that it’s only a matter of time before we’re hit by a truly devastating flu pandemic—one that might kill more people worldwide than have died of the plague and AIDS combined. In the U.S., the main lines of defense are pharmaceutical—vaccines and antiviral drugs to limit the spread of flu and prevent people from dying from it. Yet now some flu experts are challenging the medical orthodoxy and arguing that for those most in need of protection, flu shots and antiviral drugs may provide little to none. So where does that leave us if a bad pandemic strikes? ... http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/11/does-the-vaccine-matter/7723/
Shannon Brownlee has been a superb medical journalists for over 30 years and lots what she says about seniors with weakened immune from age and other diseases has to be taken seriously. Seniors should read her book Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer. It is well documented based partly on millions of overtreated people on Medicare.
If you are over 65 and had flu vaccinations in the past, the increased arm swelling for the four times higher dose Fluzone High Dose will probably be acceptable. If you never had a flu vaccine before, my experience has been a mild increase in temperature and more soreness. I felt no effects in subsequent vaccinations.
Some of the studies indicated temperatures as high as 102 degrees F for the high dose vaccine, but no data was available whether the seniors had previous vaccinations. I forgot the small number who were so affected.
Ask your primary care doctor which dose they would recommend. Since my immune system is already depressed from my medications, I will go for the high dose which may allow me to tolerate crowds during the flu season.
We already know that even with the flu vaccines at normal doses, many seniors get sick and die. The evidence for the dangers of vaccines is either fraudulent such as the Autism scare where the researchers admitted to the fraud and no other research to duplicate their results.
Intelligent or not, we are all susceptible to our emotional brain which often trumps our prefrontal cortex, our reason part of our brain. Injury or disease or underdevelopment to this part of the brain makes people more religious, more likely to commit crimes such as adultery, theft, lying even when it hurts other people.
Neanderthals have no prefrontal cortex just like apes so they did not reason but lived by their emotions. That is why it is not unusual for religious leaders to commit crimes as we have seen in recent times. Politicians are another example such as many Tea Party Republicans. The Republican leaders and corporations exploit these flaws to elect the “right” people to congress and the senate and even the President. Lying, cheating, stealing such as FOX News Corp hacking to get the right kind of news is a lot more common than we think.
Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD have an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex. Even at age four, children who are better able to resist chocolate candy rewards for a longer time develop into excellent students in school and achieve success in college and in the work world. How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer, 2009.
Jim Kawakami, Sept 13, 2010, http://jimboguy.blogspot.com
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