Carlton Supporters Club

I read that Israel is getting close to 35% of their population having been inoculated.

If only we could somehow have a good C-19 news feed... ie "In the past week, 9 million people globally received their Covid vaccine shot with no severe ill effects. The 11 million from the week prior report good health... etc."

Instead, the 2 that dropped dead make the headlines and the anti-vaxxers leap on that information with absolutely no knowledge of the health status of those adversely affected by the vaccine. 

If only we could somehow have a good C-19 news feed... ie "In the past week, 9 million people globally received their Covid vaccine shot with no severe ill effects. The 11 million from the week prior report good health... etc."

Instead, the 2 that dropped dead make the headlines and the anti-vaxxers leap on that information with absolutely no knowledge of the health status of those adversely affected by the vaccine. 

I read that Israel is getting close to 35% of their population having been inoculated.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare disorder where the body’s immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. While its cause is not fully understood, the syndrome often follows infection with a virus or bacteria. Each year in the United States, an estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people develop GBS. Most people fully recover from GBS, but some have permanent nerve damage.

GBS and the link to flu vaccine

In 1976, there was a small increased risk of GBS after swine flu vaccination, which was a special flu vaccine for a potential pandemic strain of flu virus. The National Academy of Medicine, formerly known as Institute of Medicine, conducted a scientific review of this issue in 2003 and found that people who received the 1976 swine flu vaccine had an increased risk for developing GBS. The increased risk was approximately one additional case of GBS for every 100,000 people who got the swine flu vaccine. Scientists have several theories about the cause, but the exact reason for this link remains unknown.

There have been several studies of the risk of GBS after flu vaccine and CDC monitors for GBS during each flu season. The data on an association between seasonal influenza vaccine and GBS have been variable from season-to-season. When there has been an increased risk, it has consistently been in the range of 1-2 additional GBS cases per million flu vaccine doses administered.

Studies suggest that it is more likely that a person will get GBS after getting the flu than after vaccination. It is important to keep in mind that severe illness and death are associated with flu, and getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent flu infection and its complications.

NOTE:  when the anti vaxxers advocate a "let it rip" argument with respect to COVID, because it only affects a fraction of the population adversely (figures not quoted, as I am not an advocate of this approach) the argument is much the same.

It really isnt as simple as anti vax, pro vax etc.  In this case, people are right to be skeptical.  Apparently the Pfizer vaccine has not even been granted FDA approval, and is only being administered thanks to state of emergency powers.  I understand that this is somewhat necessary evil, but it doesnt sit much better with me.

Where is the source for your Smarties data?

Interesting article about the history of the polio vaccine(s): How a debate over two competing vaccines gripped the medical community — in 1961, Salon Click HERE.

I didn’t know there were 2 polio vaccines. I’m glad I received the flavoured Sabin sugar cube rather than the Salk jab as I hate needles and they would have needed a footy team to hold me down.

Fascinating that Sabin’s live attenuated vaccine eventually mutated to cause infections.

Just the story of the hostility between Salk & Sabin makes it worth the read. Reminds me of one of the more famous scientific fights to the death between Newton and Leibniz over who invented calculus. British mathematicians fell in behind Newton while those on the continent went the other way. Prof. Jerison from MIT argues the refusal of the British to use Leibniz’s notation set British maths back by a 100 years.

Interesting article about the history of the polio vaccine(s): How a debate over two competing vaccines gripped the medical community — in 1961, Salon Click HERE.

I didn’t know there were 2 polio vaccines. I’m glad I received the flavoured Sabin sugar cube rather than the Salk jab as I hate needles and they would have needed a footy team to hold me down.

Fascinating that Sabin’s live attenuated vaccine eventually mutated to cause infections.
........................

Mainly because of the large-scale use of Sabin's vaccine, poliovirus has largely been eradicated from the planet. Only a few natural infections occur now, mainly in Pakistan and Afghanistan where polio is still endemic. Sabin's vaccine is a live RNA virus. While it does not thrive well in humans, it does replicate in us. Since RNA replication is error prone, the virus in the vaccine could mutate to become dangerous again. The mutated virus could spread to others and cause paralysis. Indeed, most of the cases of polio seen today outside the endemic areas are caused by such mutations of the live virus in Sabin's vaccine.

But a report released in July last year by the World Health Organization (WHO) may provide a poetic resolution to the debate between the two camps. The answer: a combination of both vaccines may be the most effective way to defeat the disease. After a series of trials in India in 2011 and 2012, researchers found that administering the injected vaccine alongside the live virus boosted immunity significantly. Now the WHO is recommending this approach throughout the remaining polio endemic countries.

Interestingly, there are some early rumours "cross vaccination" with different types of COVID vaccine are offering similar improved results. You can expect papers by mid-year, there is one paper out but the study is so small at less than 50 patients it's not worth referencing.

This might be the biggest issue in 3rd World locations, where an initial expensive dose to high risk populations can be followed up with a cheaper generic shot. Let's hope for good news on that front!

Where is the source for your Smarties data?