CDC Exaggerates High Flu Numbers in the US
Igor Chudov
The CDC and the press want us to believe that we are in the midst of a “flu emergency.” The scary dark-colored flu map of the 2022-23 season, compared to previous seasons, seems to be clear proof of the flu apocalypse unfolding in the USA right now:
The media is also joining the fear porn chorus, repeating CDC’s call to take the flu vaccine:
Is it time to get scared? Should we rush to get flu vaccines?
CDC Now Counts EVERYTHING as Flu!
It turns out that a year ago, the CDC changed the definition of “Influenza-Like Illness:”
As of now, any illness with “fever AND (cough OR sore throat)” is counted as influenza and would darken the map!
The CDC would count the following as influenza for the Flu map displayed at the beginning of the article:
Cold
Flu
COVID-19
RSV
How Bad is This Double Counting?
Look at the utilization data and outpatient (E.R.) visits from a large hospital near me:
Of all outpatient E.R. visits — due to broken bones, poisonings, heart attacks, gunshots, influenza, Covid, etc. — consistently about 40% of E.R. visits come with a POSITIVE COVID TEST! (By the way, the only time the above number of “E.R. visits with Covid” exceeded was January 2022. This is how bad Covid is right now.)
Such visits qualify for counting towards “influenza-like illness” colors displayed on the CDC map. Any astute reader would realize that if 40% of all E.R. visits involve having Covid, then Covid incidence would severely distort the count of “outpatient visits with influenza-like illness” that include Covid!
So, keep in mind that when you see scaremongering about the flu, it is based on purposely inflated “influenza-like illness” numbers that include Covid cases, RSV, and much more.
That’s the backdrop of alarmism and fear porn upon which they build up the case for “flu vaccines,” which cannot possibly help against Covid or RSV.
CDC ”Seven Step Recipe” for Flu Vaccination
I would be more forgiving of this BS if the flu vaccine were at least helpful…
Peter Doshi explains the sleights of hand used to market the flu vaccine, (h/t Sanjoy M.):
Do Flu Vaccines Work?
It would be great if the influenza vaccines were known to be safe and effective. If it were the case, lives would be saved. Then, I would join the line of people taking the jabs.
Sadly, they are not “safe and effective.”
Last year, the effectiveness of the flu vaccine was statistically indistinguishable from zero for ALL ages and even negative (and still indistinguishable from zero) for older people who actually would benefit from such protection:
More details here:
Influenza Vaccine is Perfect Example of MEDICAL QUACKERY at the FDA and the CDC
25 days ago · 673 likes · 661 comments · Igor Chudov
Do Flu Vaccines Cause Bacterial and Fungal Infections?
I would prefer not to get too deeply into the “safety” of flu vaccines. I had the worst bout of flu a few weeks after my first and only flu vaccine a few years ago. Take a look at this study:
These bacteria mentioned above are not some obscure lab pathogens: the incidence of DEATHS caused by them is rising worldwide:
Five leading pathogens—Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa—were responsible for 54·9% (52·9–56·9) of deaths among the investigated bacteria. The deadliest infectious syndromes and pathogens varied by location and age. The age-standardised mortality rate associated with these bacterial pathogens was highest in the sub-Saharan Africa super-region, with 230 deaths (185–285) per 100 000 population, and lowest in the high-income super-region, with 52·2 deaths (37·4–71·5) per 100 000 population. S aureus was the leading bacterial cause of death in 135 countries and was also associated with the most deaths in individuals older than 15 years, globally.
These bacteria are everywhere. Not everyone gets infected by them, however.
Does the flu vaccine increase our susceptibility, just like it did with lab mice?
P.S. Thanks to John (J.C.) Comeau @jcomeau_ictx, for alerting me about this CDC change!
This article was originally published in Igor’s Newsletter and is republished here with permission
