Health Impact News Editor Comments

Need proof that the seasonal flu vaccine is not effective? Look no further than the CDC’s own publication admitting the fact: Influenza Outbreak in a Vaccinated Population.

Earlier this year (2014) the CDC published a report documenting an influenza outbreak which occurred among fully vaccinated navy personnel aboard the USS Ardent, a U.S. Navy minesweeper moored in San Diego, California while conducting training.

Surprisingly, the CDC admits this is a common occurrence:

The current U.S. Department of Defense influenza vaccination policy mandates that all uniformed personnel receive seasonal influenza vaccination, unless medically exempt, or face punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The policy specifically directs all Navy operational units to be at least 90% vaccinated. However, despite vaccination measures, influenza outbreaks can still occur in highly vaccinated military populations.

In the references section of the study, they list two other studies that showed the exact same thing happened in the past, in 2001 and 2009:

• Earhart KE, Beadle C, Miller LK, et al. Outbreak of influenza in highly vaccinated crew of U.S. Navy ship. Emerg Infect Dis 2001;7:463–5.
• Cosby MT, Pimental G, Nevin RL, et al. Outbreak of H3N2 Influenza at a US Military Base in Djibouti during the H1N1 pandemic of 2009. PLoS One 2013;7:e82089.

What does this say about the rationale of mandatory flu vaccines for school children, or mandatory flu vaccines for healthcare workers in healthcare facilities?

Comment on this article on our new Vaccine Impact website.

Reference:

Influenza Outbreak in a Vaccinated Population — USS Ardent, February 2014