The Claim:
An author of thrillers is scaring the public with a supposed quote from Dr. Anthony Fauci saying that flu vaccines are so ineffective that they never should have been licensed.
The Facts:
In general, to be approved, vaccines are required to have an efficacy of 50% or above. While some years the flu vaccine can have an effectiveness as high as 60%, it can often be much lower, around 40%. And in some bad years such as the 2004-2005 flu season, around 10%. Does that mean that the vaccine doesn’t work as claimed by the tweeter?
Low effectiveness doesn’t mean no effectiveness. From 2005-2014, over 40,000 lives were saved because of the flu vaccines, even when fewer than 50% of the people were vaccinated for influenza. With the risks of influenza being higher than the risks of the vaccine, vaccinating is a much safer bet than rolling the dice with disease.
Also, and not for nothing, Dr. Fauci never misses his flu shot.
Disclaimer: Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved since this was originally posted. Browse the latest information posted in Just the Facts Topics.
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