Welcome to Bad Science on the Internet! Here, we highlight some of the crazy and sometime dangerous stuff people post online,  and then give you the facts.  

The bad science: A recent article circulating around Facebook claims that the new flu vaccines don’t work and are actually dangerous because of new additives in the vaccines.

What do they claim? The main claims are that the new flu vaccines are not safe and that it’s less risky to skip the vaccine this year and risk the flu.

Are they trying to sell you something? Just the usual anti-vaccine conspiracy theory madness. This article was distributed on Facebook by a site called “Earth We Are One”, but there is no tag line identifying the author or even giving a date.  It’s not clear who wrote this or why.

Is any of this true? It is actually amazing how little of this is true. Let’s go point-by-point!

PART I. Inaccurate and Misleading Claims about Squalene

They focus on a new adjuvant (adjuvants are chemicals that help boost your immune system’s reaction to vaccines) in the flu vaccine called squalene. It is true that squalene (and derivatives of squalene) are used in vaccines, so that’s a good start! But it’s downhill from there. They claim squalene has been linked to autoimmune disorders. This is extremely misleading – there is a single report in which several adjuvants (including squalene) were shown to increase the production of auto-antibodies (antibodies that tell the body to attack itself) in mice. Auto-antibodies are a hallmark of autoimmune disorders, but these mice didn’t actually develop an autoimmune disorder. Did I mention that squalene is used as an adjuvant, and adjuvants are supposed to increase the immune response, and that immune responses include the generation of antibodies?

They also claim that squalene may have been used in chemical attacks during the gulf war. This is completely and comically ridiculous. There were some groups that investigated the possibility that squalene in anthrax vaccines given to gulf war soldiers might have had a role in gulf war syndrome, but squalene was actually never used in the anthrax vaccine, so… nothing there. Squalene is not a chemical warfare agent.

So what is squalene? It’s a normal biochemical intermediate in fat and cholesterol synthesis. Literally all plants and animals (including humans!) make squalene in their bodies or leaves/stems every day. You have way more squalene in your body right now than is in a dose of flu vaccine. Plus, you are literally eating it every day – it’s in olives, meat, vegetables oil, and literally anything that contains these foods, which is the majority of most peoples diet. It is preposterous to suggest that a tiny additional dose of squalene is suddenly toxic.  Squalene was introduced as an adjuvant in vaccines in 1997, and since that time, over 22 million people have been administered squalene-containing vaccines without any safety issues.

Part II. I Don’t Think They Actually Read the “Johns Hopkins Article”

Next the article quotes a “scientist at the John’s Hopkins School of Medicine” named Peter Doshi. They quote a lot of Doshi’s text, but you’ll notice that very little of it has to do with safety.  There is a reason for this – Doshi is not a scientist: he has a Ph.D. in antrothpology and studies health policy decision-making.  Nor is he on the staff at Johns Hopkins: he is a post doctoral fellow, which is a position many Ph.D’s take shortly after getting their doctorate into order to gain more training before seeking a professorship or another career option.

The point of Doshi’s article is the cost/benefit of the flu vaccine – should everyone get it, or are there populations we should focus on? He includes a reference to safety (quoted in the article, of course) only to highlight that there is always risk with any medication. This particular report highlighted an unusual spike in adverse reactions seen to the flu shot over 7 years ago. It was not a report on the overall safety of the flu vaccine, and it has nothing to do with the safety of this years vaccine. Looking for one? Here it is.  It’s safe.

Part III. Roll Out the Dangerously Misinformed Conspiracy Theory”Expert”

Finally, they roll out the opinions of Dr. Russell Blaylock, author of “the Blaylock Wellness Report”. Dr. Blaylock strongly believes that vaccines don’t work and are dangerous, contrary to literally all published scientific data.  Here are some other things he believes:

• Food additives cause Alzheimer’s disease! (there is no data to support this)
• Aerobic exercise is not the best way to achieve physical fitness (you tell me how that makes sense)
• Cancer patients should choose natural therapies (don’t do this, it’s incredibly dangerous)

You too can learn all about Dr. Blaylocks theories by subscribing to his newletter for just $50 a year!  You can also buy a number of interesting books on his website, detailing the benefits of oxygen therapy (there are none), miracle cures from the bible (not a place for medical advice), how to prevent Alzheimer’s disease (there is no known way), and the healing power of vinegar (maybe coloring Easter eggs heals the soul?). You should not believe a word that Dr. Russell Blaylock says. His theories have no basis in scientific reality.

Is any of this dangerous?

Yes! For most of us, the flu is just an inconvenience, but it’s important to note that over 35,000 people die from the flu in the United States every year. Over 200,000 are hospitalized. The general distrust of vaccines is incredibly dangerous too.  People who skip the flu vaccines because of biased anti-vaccination stories like this might also decide to skip vaccinations for more serious disease, or even worse for their children.  When this happens, people can and do die.

What’s the bottom line?

You should get the flu vaccine. It’s safe. The statements in this viral post are laughably false. If you are a parent, you should make sure your child has the flu vaccine along with their other regularly scheduled vaccines.  While most of us can get over the flu in a few days, the people most at risk of death from the flu are the elderly and young children. The best way to keep your child safe is to make sure they have all of their vaccinations.