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 too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
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