punditman says...This is freaking hilarious. Run out and get your seasonal flu shot everyone! It's so good for you that it makes it more likely that you will get H1N1! So better run out and get that shot too! Undoubtedly, it's so good for you that it will make it more likely that you will get...bird flu (or some such malady). Watch Big Pharma/Big Gov't try to bury this one. There's too much $ involved.
Preliminary research suggests the seasonal flu shot may put people at greater risk for getting swine flu, CBC News has learned.
"This is some evidence that has been floated. It hasn't been validated yet, it's very preliminary," cautioned Dr. Don Low, microbiologist-in-chief at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.
"This is obviously important data to help guide policy decisions. How can we best protect people against influenza?"
It's important to validate the information to make sure it's not just a fluke, and that the observation is confirmed elsewhere such as in the Southern Hemisphere, which just completed its seasonal flu season, Low added.
Four Canadian studies involved about 2,000 people in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, sources told CBC News. Researchers found people who had received the seasonal flu vaccine in the past were more likely to get sick with the H1N1 virus.
Researchers know that, theoretically, when people are exposed to bacteria or a virus, it can stimulate the immune system to create antibodies that facilitate the entry of another strain of the virus. Dengue fever is one example, Low said.
