2025-2026 Flu Shot - Yes or No?
Segment #721
Kennedy’s position remains the same. Here is more information… not less… you want the flu shot go get it. You read the studies and you are not convinced, then don’t get it. No mandates, no censorship, no intimidation.. do what you want. That’s the way government is supposed to work.
Yes, this is a fair summary of a long-standing debate around influenza vaccination, particularly for healthy adults (aged 18–65 without underlying conditions).The 2018 Cochrane reviews (the most recent major updates; stabilized in subsequent years with no routine changes unless groundbreaking new evidence emerges) are indeed interpreted by some critics as showing that benefits are modest and potentially oversold in public messaging:
For laboratory-confirmed influenza in healthy adults: Inactivated vaccines reduce risk from ~2.3% (unvaccinated) to ~0.9–1% (vaccinated), an absolute risk reduction (ARR) of about 1–1.4%. This translates to a number needed to vaccinate (NNV) of ~71 to prevent one confirmed case (moderate-certainty evidence).
For influenza-like illness (ILI, broader symptoms often caused by non-influenza viruses): ARR ~3–4%, NNV ~29–40.
Evidence for reducing severe outcomes (hospitalizations, pneumonia, mortality) in healthy adults is low- or very low-certainty, with wide confidence intervals often including no effect. No clear reduction in time off work beyond minor days saved.
Critics, including Peter Doshi (a former Cochrane collaborator and BMJ associate editor who has commented extensively on these reviews), argue that:
Relative risk reductions (e.g., 60% fewer confirmed cases when matched) sound impressive but mask small absolute benefits in low-risk groups like healthy adults, where baseline flu risk is low (1–2% per season for confirmed cases).
High-quality RCTs show little impact on complications or transmission in this group.
Public health campaigns (e.g., claims of preventing "thousands of deaths" or broad "serious illness") rely more on observational data, modeling, or extrapolation, which may overestimate benefits due to biases (e.g., healthy user effect).
Some messaging conflates confirmed influenza with ILI, inflating perceived effectiveness.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (often cited in vaccine-skeptic circles) has echoed similar points, referencing Cochrane findings and arguing flu shots provide limited protection against severe outcomes while potentially increasing non-flu respiratory infections (based on select studies like a 2020 DoD analysis showing virus interference).On the other side, authorities like the CDC and WHO continue broad recommendations because:
Even modest individual benefits scale up population-wide, reducing overall burden (e.g., fewer cases mean less transmission to vulnerable groups).
Stronger evidence of protection in high-risk populations (children, elderly, pregnant people, those with comorbidities), where ARR is larger and severe outcomes more common.
Indirect (herd) effects protect unvaccinated vulnerable individuals.
Real-world effectiveness studies (often test-negative designs) typically show 40–60% reduction in hospitalizations/deaths in matched seasons, especially for A(H1N1).
Vaccines are safe (mostly mild side effects; no confirmed serious harms like Guillain-Barré beyond rare cases).
The Cochrane authors themselves note gaps: Industry funding in many trials, variable strain matching, and limited high-quality data on severe outcomes. They stabilized the reviews partly because new RCTs haven't shifted conclusions materially.In short, for healthy adults, the vaccines offer real but limited direct protection—preventing some cases and symptoms, but not dramatically altering risks of severe illness. Recommendations persist due to broader public health goals, not just individual ARR in low-risk groups. The debate highlights tensions between RCT evidence (gold standard for critics) and observational/real-world data (basis for policy).
FLU SHOTS: The Hidden Truth That's Making You SICKER – Backed by Studies & the Package Insert! The flu shot is the opposite of protection…it makes you 27% MORE likely to catch flu & 440% MORE likely to get COVID or pneumonia. This isn’t conspiracy...This is 2025 science...
**The Studies Don't Lie ** -
**Cleveland Clinic bombshell (Shrestha et al., 2024-2025 season):
** Vaccinated folks had a
**-26.9% effectiveness** against flu. Translation? You are *27% more likely* to catch it post-shot. -
**Cowling study:** Flu vax recipients faced
**4.4x higher odds** of COVID & pneumonia, that is 440%! These aren't fringe theories – they're peer-reviewed data. Yet Big Pharma keeps the assembly line rolling.
**What's REALLY in That Syringe? Poison in Plain Sight** -
**Mercury alert:** Multi-dose vials (common in large clinics & corps) pack
**thimerosal** – a mercury preservative. Each kid's dose?
**12.5 mcg of mercury**. Adult? **25 mcg**. (EPA says that's hazardous waste *outside* your body... but safe inside? ) -
**Formaldehyde:** A known neurotoxin linked to leukemia. -
**Octylphenol ethoxylate (Triton X-100):** Banned in the EU as an endocrine disruptor (messes with hormones – it's even in spermicides!). Used in industrial cleaners & pesticides. Why inject *that*? - Other gems: Fertilized chicken eggs (hello, egg allergies), phosphate buffers (bone-toxic) & lab-grown hemagglutinin antigens from "harmful host cells." No full clinical trials or safety test before market launch. Just 1,419 toddlers jabbed & tested for antibodies. Boom – approved.
**The Side Effects:** Post-marketing reports (real-world fallout) include: -
**Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS):
** Paralysis risk spikes. -
**Anaphylaxis & angioedema:** Life-threatening allergies – epi-pens must be on standby. -
**Neurological:** Myelitis, encephalomyelitis, Bell's palsy, convulsions, optic neuropathy. -
**Blood & immune:** Thrombocytopenia (bleeding risk), lymphadenopathy (swollen nodes). -
**Rare but real:** Apnea, brachial neuritis, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.
**Target: Seniors Under Fire** Fluzone High Dose for 65+? It cranks antigens **4x higher**. More "protection" = more risk. Contraindicated for egg allergies, but docs push anyway.
**The Bottom Line: Informed Consent Isn't Optional** We deserve transparency, not fear-mongering. Dr. Barke nails it: "Now you know." Skip the shot – boost with vitamin D, whole food vitamin C, zinc, elderberry & real food. Your body was built to fight flu naturally. What’s your flu strategy this year? Ever questioned the vax push? Drop a comment, repost to wake others up & tag a loved one before they line up. Let's end the silence. #FluVaccineTruth #InformedConsent #VaccineRisks #HealthFreedom
