Waaaay offtopic

[Henry Spencer]

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003, Robert Brockway wrote:
> > I know a lot of people who did who got sick anyway. This years strain
> > seemed to have been missed...
> 
> ...I don't believe this is a case of anyone being inept.  From what I
> understand, figuring out which flu will be the serious one in any given
> year can be a matter of guess work, and as a result they can get it wrong.

Also, something that people often don't understand is that many vaccines
do not provide foolproof protection against even the exact strain they are
made for.  They greatly *reduce* the odds of getting the bug, and if you
do get it they tend to reduce its severity, but they don't necessarily
preclude infection completely.  (Notably, even if you are properly
vaccinated against smallpox, if you are heavily exposed to it, you can
come down with a mild case.)

                                                          Henry Spencer
                                                       henry-lqW1N6Cllo0sV2N9l4h3zg at public.gmane.org

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