I’ve heard a lot about this in recent months. With the outrageous scare-mongering surrounding “swine flu”, the public are being lead to believe this is a serious threat to society. It’s almost certainly not. As admitted by our own government, for most people it is nothing but a mild illness much like any other flu.

But here’s a really good reason to think very, very hard about whether you get something jabbed in your arm for an illness you know you can just sweat out for the sake of a few days off work.

The Dominion Post: ACC pays out in 53 flu jab cases

I hate being sick as much as the next person, but I prefer to take my chances with a healthy immune system and some sensible measures like plenty of fluids, than I am to spin the roulette wheel of ‘big medicine’s miracle cure.

Consider, especially, this passage in the article. (Grammar intact from original):

A swine flu vaccination programme in the United States in 1976 resulted in multimillion-dollar lawsuits after 500 people one in 80,000 developed GBS.

Twenty-five people died of GBS, while just one person died of swine flu.

Auckland Hospital neurologist John Simcock, a medical adviser for the Neurological Foundation, said though GBS had been linked to vaccinations, people were more at risk of complications from viral and bacterial infections.

“It’s still a very rare event, affecting only one or two people in 100,000.”

It is possible to fight viral and bacterial infections. Death is a little harder to treat.

A final thought. The companies that make these vaccines also make something else. Money.