What is Digg?181 Comments
- absolutelytrue, on 05/26/2009, -6/+67Statistics don't really matter if you happen to be that millionth person.
- IHaveIssues, on 10/24/2008, -2/+31Actually they do. It's free here.
- purecheese, on 10/24/2008, -4/+29But did he get the flu?
- TheEngineer2008, on 10/24/2008, -2/+23"Complain" is a mild term.
- stutimandal, on 10/24/2008, -7/+26Well if the chance of this is one in a million, obviously 20 people will complain every year in a population of 20 million.
- displaced1, on 10/24/2008, -3/+20Flu season is around the corner! Diggers put on your swimming gear because a tsunami of Anti-flu shot and anti-vaccine stories is about to hit.
- rabid33, on 10/24/2008, -1/+17Let me start off by saying that I am one of the rare few that have actually been afflicted by GB before. I have never met anyone else in my life that has even heard of this before.
I got it the exact same way this guy did; I received a flu shot when I was very young, and within a few days my reflexes stopped working and I could no longer walk. I was fortunate that I was only affected from the waist down, and it lasted a few weeks for me, not months. I was 3 years old at the time but I STILL remember being in the hospital and to this day I have an extreme phobia of needles because the doctors had to perform so many tests on me to figure out what it was that I had. Oh, and I had to have a spinal tap.
That being said, I think the way this article was written was extremely irresponsible. By simply looking at the statistics of this situation, the chances of getting GB is so incredibly small compared to the chance of dying from a flu complication. This article is simply trying to scare people, and the sad thing is it will probably work. I myself choose to not take flu shots (as I am very healthy and relatively young) but I would not recommend that people stop taking flu shots just because they read this.
Do the math. - Simus, on 10/24/2008, -0/+1531.8 deaths per 100,000 population > 1 in 1,000,000
source http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00039389. ... - scooterbaga, on 10/24/2008, -5/+17That's stupid.
- kanuk20, on 10/24/2008, -1/+13They also said that they give this shot to 10 million people, and this guy is the only case reported of having a serious side affect, so the stats are more like 1 in 10 million. Also, better check wikipedia because Canada has been well over 20 million for a quite a few years.
- diggerpleez, on 10/24/2008, -0/+12My Dad got hit with GBS in March, and the nerve damage was extensive. Typically it just destroys the mylan sheath connecting the nerves, but for some reason his actually ate up the nerves themselves as well in many areas. He went from completely healthy jogging 2 miles a day to completely paralyzed on a breathing machine within 2 days. He had a variation of GBS that started in the throat and worked it's way down. Still to this day, he has a trach in his throat and is mostly paralyzed in his throat/tongue, arms and hands. He cannot even swallow which makes managing natural secretions a real challenge.
It is a bad mother effer that will completely rip you out of your life with no warning. :( - knuckles, on 10/24/2008, -1/+13Canada has closer to 38 million citizens.
- Haoie, on 10/24/2008, -8/+18Realistically, you're far, far more likely to die from not taking the shot, then dying from the flu.
- scabbers, on 10/24/2008, -2/+1210 million per year? Sounds like they give flu shots away like candy in Canada.
- chillymanilli, on 10/24/2008, -6/+16British Man has flu shot, feels fine apart from slightly sore arm
- majortom1981, on 10/24/2008, -3/+12You do know that the flu shot only helps protect you from 40 -60 percent of the flu strains right?
- smacksaw, on 10/24/2008, -3/+12Yeah, and he's a normal 44-year old guy. He needs this again why?
- uselessexpert, on 10/24/2008, -4/+12DAMN!!! Every year, when flu season comes around, my father always reminds to go get a flu shot.
And I always say no! If you have a good diet and take your daily vitamins, you will not need no flu shot.
The less synthetic drugs in my body, the better off I am. - JackpotCity, on 10/24/2008, -4/+12Yep it's unfortunate that someone always has to be THAT statistic. But did he avoid the flu?
- vilago, on 10/24/2008, -2/+10the medical community touts that EVERYONE should get a flu shot, even if you are healthy. they claim that if your in contact with someone who could die from flu you should get it too. i'm not surprised.
- Murdats, on 10/24/2008, -5/+13but socialised medicine can never possibly work according to americans.
- CaptMonkey, on 10/24/2008, -3/+11"Waah, I'm paralyzed!"
Some people will bitch about anything. - MightyE, on 10/24/2008, -1/+9Guillain- Barré ("Gee-ohm Bar-ay") is a risk in nearly all vaccinations. Chances are very low, and is in fact substantially lower than your chances of dieing should you catch the disease you're being vaccinated against for basically every vaccine-preventable disease.
- jonnyboyca, on 10/24/2008, -3/+10One in a million and he was the "one"? better head to vegas...
- drikle, on 10/24/2008, -0/+6Neo ?
- TWiThead, on 10/24/2008, -7/+13I seriously hope that people reading about this don't decide to stop receiving their influenza vaccines. The risk of serious complications (or even death) stemming from influenza itself is tremendously greater--especially for those in high-risk groups.
It also should be noted that Mr. Ryan stood a significant chance of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome (which, like a very small number of people, he was predisposed to) even if he hadn't received the shot; it also can be caused by an actual infection, so simply contracting influenza or another infectious disease could have triggered the condition. - chillymanilli, on 10/24/2008, -2/+8err no mate they make far more money from drugs prescribed or bought from chemist for flu symtoms than they make from the flu shot!
Besides in the UK it is made at porton down which is a government lab not by a pharmaceutical company
The flu shot is literally a life saver for very young children/eldery people plus people such as myself with weakened immune systems who can very easily die from the flu. - diggerpleez, on 10/24/2008, -1/+7My dad has described the feeling of being completely 100% mentally aware, but unable to speak, move a single muscle, open an eye, scratch an itch, or communicate your needs in any way, all while having to breathe through a tube stuck through his throat since he had no muscle. I can't imagine that kind of torture for months on end. When he does "complain", I certainly never judge him for it.
Re: that 1 in 1M, doctors we have dealt with seem to agree that GBS will hit 1 in 100K to 200K people. There are 15 or so people being treated in the Dallas area right now. There were two others at his rehab center alone. Due to the seemingly random nature of it, they can often never point it to a single event that triggered it, as in the case of my dad. He had a flu shot a month or two before, but they seem to feel that was not a factor due to how long it had been. Scary ***** nonetheless. - gmacnay, on 10/24/2008, -0/+5Per CDC stats in the USA only
Death rate extrapolations for USA for Pneumonia: 61776 per year, 5148 per month, 1188 per week, 169 per day, 7 per hour. - Velnich, on 10/24/2008, -0/+5It makes a difference in how much company you should have.
- bpunch, on 10/24/2008, -3/+8Never had a flu shot in my life...
Until last week. Been sick ever since. - kleptomaniac, on 10/24/2008, -1/+6And yet Canada still has a lower infant mortality rate and a higher life exectancy. While it's true canadian hospitals don't compare to the best american hospitals, it's hard to sell that point when millions can't afford health insurance.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004393.html
http://www.nchc.org/facts/coverage.shtml - soomprimal, on 10/24/2008, -5/+10If you are a healthy person who is not at risk of dying from a flu infection or the complications, you should not get the vaccine. "Annual flu shots" are another example of convenient government / corporate collusion pressed upon the healthy and fit populace for no good reason, unless you're at-risk.
Vaccination is an artificial intervention in the ecosystem that will have long-term consequences for humans as a species. Get sick, deal with it, and you come out stronger, the species thanks you, and we don't get run-away mutations and super strains. - jetcloud, on 10/24/2008, -7/+12(Waldmeister)
"Vaccines consist of mainly three categories of ingredients. The first are cultured bacteria and viruses. The second ingredient is the medium in which they are cultivated. This may be chick embryo, chicken or duck egg protein, pig or horse blood, dog kidney tissue, monkey kidney tissue, calf serum, rabbit brain tissue, aborted human fetal cells or cowpox pus. These foreign proteins are injected directly into the bloodstream and are not subject to the stomach's hydrochloric acid and the enzymes of digestion. Like insect stings or snake bites, these foreign proteins are absorbed into the blood and carried directly to the liver. These and the other toxic byproducts have the potential for a mild to severe or fatal reaction.
Vaccines also contain stabilizers, neutralizers, carrying agents and preservatives such as formaldehyde, a known carcinogen used to embalm the dead. There is no safe level of formaldehyde injected into a living organism. Vaccines may contain mercury and/or aluminum. Mercury and aluminum are neurological poisons-they accmulate in the brain. The much touted Gardasil HPV vaccine claimed to prevent cervical cancer - will delver to the targeted 11 year old girls, via the three required shots, a total .675 milligrams of aluminum.
Contrary to the claim of government salaried health officials, Gardasil was not subject to a placebo controlled trial. Gardasil's placebo contained aluminum thus it was not inert. The claimed safety studies are fraudulent.
Dr. Wendell Winters, a virologist at the University of California noted, "immunizations may cause changes in slow viruses and changes in the DNA mechanism." Although host cells containing latent viral particles operate more or less normally, they begin to synthesize viral proteins under the guidance of the viral DNA, eventually creating the circumstances for various autoimmune diseases, including diseases of the central nervous system, which unfortunately add to the growing load of aberrant social behavior patterns.
Millions of people between 1950 and 1970 were injected with polio vaccines containing simian virus 40 (SV-40) transferred from contaminated monkey kidney cells used to culture the vaccine. It is impossible to remove animal viruses from vaccine cultures. SV-40, the 40th simian virus to be discovered in monkey tissue, is a suspected cancer-causing virus." Stay friggen away, eh. - ShyGuy91284, on 10/24/2008, -0/+4And you also have to take into account those strains (assuming your statistic is correct) are probably knocked out before they get to you due to a significant number of people being vaccinated, and you'll probably come in contact with the other strains. This probably goes double when the majority of people you are around have an option of getting the shot.
- MistrBrownstone, on 10/24/2008, -3/+7I've never had a flu shot. I use the time honored method of actually washing my hands after using a restroom, and before eating.
- Hodor, on 10/24/2008, -0/+4I've always wondered, if you've had the flu shot a few times already are you less at risk of getting Guillain-Barre?
- MrSteamTank, on 10/24/2008, -1/+5@captric
That is because United States has FAR more land than Canada. And by land I mean useable land because 80% of Canadian territory is absolutely worthless for anything other than small degrees of resource collection.
Look at this chart regarding agriculture.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?P ...
Realistically, Canada in useable land terms is smaller than Mexico. Due to this their economy is much smaller and due to economies of scale is not as efficient as the US in that department. Not to mention 3-4 months of heavy winter also a makes services more expensive compared to America´s powerhouse states. Hence the higher taxes.
As for inferior healthcare the US pays the highest salaries for doctors in the entire world by a considerable degree. Considering the ease of travel, distance between countries, and cultural similarities it´s no wonder Canada has problems retaining it´s medical staff. The US actively seeks Canadian tax payer subsidized doctors and nurses to fill it´s ranks. Europe suffers this same problem but due to distance and language-cultural differences it is a much smaller issue for them.
Also, don´t lump the states all as the same thing. They have so much freedom in policy that they vary wildly from each other in pretty much everything. Look at the world-wide income tax rates. The US in some states has higher income tax rates than Canada meanwhile in others much less.
Same thing even applies to Canada as well. Certain provinces have lower taxes than others. Look at Alberta. 5% sales tax? Yet in some states in the US the tax rate is 10.25%.
In general, I agree that tax rates in Canada are higher than the US. Just remember that Canada isn´t not the socialist country you seem to believe it to be. Compared to most of the world it is highly capitalistic. The economic freedom index puts Canada(some people use this to determine capitalism as it defines government intervention in the economy) at number 7 in the entire world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_ ... - filovirus, on 10/24/2008, -0/+4Vampire? Sorry, couldn't resist.
- oxymoron69, on 10/24/2008, -2/+6Holy jesus christ, do american really think that we're this tiny (population wise) socialist evil country that lies to the north of them?
Our hospitals and healthcare are quite well thank-you.
Answer this yank.... can you call your family doctor and be seen the same afternoon AND be given the solution to your problem... for free?
Americans... whatever other americans tell you about Canada likely ISN'T TRUE!
*****, some guy earlier in the thread thinks Canada has less than 20 million people.
With you people being told inaccurate or unimportant facts about your continental neighbours, do they also forget to teach you that Canadians burned down the White House??
Oh yeah! ...Only the exterior walls remained, and they had to be torn down and mostly reconstructed due to weakening from the fire :-) - chudgoo, on 10/24/2008, -0/+4Someone I work with was out for 7 months with this exact same thing. We both caught the flu in the same week but in him it triggered this syndrome. There's something very sinister about your own immune system attacking your nervous system...
Sure, it's rare but it does happen. Should you freak out about it? no. But if after catching the flu you find yourself helplessly weak (like can't walk/move your legs)
SEEK HELP. - SteelChicken, on 10/24/2008, -4/+8which is why I dont get flu shots. let that 1 in a million be some other person.
- LupeFiasco, on 10/24/2008, -2/+6Captric, stop talking out of your ass. Please and thank you.
- DeathRay2K, on 10/24/2008, -3/+7Well in Canada, this little place where it works, they do.
- DBeta, on 10/24/2008, -2/+6Because if he didn't take it, he could catch the flu. Sure, he would probably survive, and it's possible he will not feel like he had more than a mild cold, but in the time he had it, he could spread it to the elderly or children which could, and often do, die from it.
Everyone should get a flu shot. It doesn't matter what age you are(excluding those too sick to get the shot, but part of the reason other people should get it is so that the really sick don't have to worry about it). - lotusstp, on 10/24/2008, -1/+5This actually happened to my Dad about twenty years ago! There was a wave of Guillain-Barré across the country and several people died. The conspiracy theory junkie in me thinks this could be a cover... some infamous people might be adversely affected. Let's see who they get this time!
- zip000, on 10/24/2008, -0/+4I'm not sure that posting the article was irresponsible - it is just news. True information is good, even if it goes against your beliefs.
I'm for vaccinations - I just had my son flu vaccinated yesterday, and I'll be getting one soon, but I do like to know about the risks involved. - AmyVernon, on 10/24/2008, -8/+12OK, can't let the hubby see this or else he'll become paralyzed.
- Ganpachi, on 10/24/2008, -0/+3Dude, you need to prove they are in fact criminally insane psychopathic eugenicists before you can apply occams' razor.
Have you even ever met a medical doctor or a research pharmacist?
I have, and none of them were as you described them. -
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