With fall comes flu season, and with that a slew of misinformation, rumors, or misconceptions about influenza and the flu shot. Here’s a look back at claims from flu seasons past:
Should You Avoid Getting a Flu Shot?
It’s flu season, and that means a whole new wave of recycled anti-vaccine fearmongering.
Less Effective Flu Shots ‘Prove’ You Shouldn’t Get Them at All?
Dubious websites are attempting to use a season in which the influenza vaccine is less effective than normal as evidence that getting inoculated is worthless.
Did the Flu Shot Cause This Year’s Flu Epidemic?
This claim is based on the incorrect interpretation of single quote from one nurse in Wisconsin who, for the record, recommends getting the shot.
Did the DOJ Admit the Flu Shot Is the “Most Dangerous” Vaccine in America?
The FBI issues a "Most Wanted Fugitives" list, but the DOJ has no equivalent for supposedly "Dangerous Vaccines."
Can Tamiflu Cause Children to Become Homicidal?
Psychiatric problems are possibly associated with the anti-influenza drug Tamiflu, but causation and association are difficult to tease apart.
Is Tamiflu Causing Increased Deaths from Flu?
Tamiflu is not responsible for the high number of flu season deaths, even if its potential rare side effects are scary.
Was a Healthy Nine-Year-Old Girl Paralyzed by a Flu Shot?
The story of a heartbreaking illness following a routine flu shot has been used to scare people from getting the vaccine, but a causal relationship between the two is uncertain.
Did a CDC Doctor Say the Flu Shot Is Causing a Deadly Outbreak?
A disreputable web site used an unsourced and fabricated quote to link deaths from the flu epidemic to the flu shot.
Was the Body of a CDC Doctor Who ‘Exposed’ the Flu Shot Found Floating in a River?
A missing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doctor was found dead, but he was not a "whistleblower" who had warned the public about flu shots.
Did Melania Trump Ban White House Staff from Taking Flu Shots?
“I will not allow incubators of dangerous viruses to come anywhere near my son,” the First Lady supposedly said.