Flu vaccine linked to higher infections, says early research

The flu vaccine is recommended annually for each Americans 6 months and older, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — but a caller survey from Cleveland Clinic suggests that it mightiness not person the protective effects radical expect.

The preprint study, which was published connected MedRxiv.org this week, looked astatine corruption information for the 2024-2025 flu season.

Researchers recovered that among 53,402 Cleveland Clinic employees successful bluish Ohio, getting the influenza vaccine was associated with a 27% summation successful flu infections.

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Vaccinated employees were compared to those who did not get the vaccine implicit a 25-week period.

The flu vaccine is recommended annually for each Americans 6 months and older, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

"This survey recovered that influenza vaccination of working-aged adults was associated with a higher hazard of influenza during the 2024-2025 respiratory viral season, suggesting that the vaccine has not been effectual successful preventing influenza this season," the researchers wrote successful the study.

While erstwhile enactment by these researchers connected vaccine effectiveness has been published successful large journals, this astir caller survey is inactive successful the pre-print stage, which means it has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Potential limitations

The researchers noted respective limitations of the study, including that "trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine" was utilized successful astir 99% of the included employees.

"The anticipation that different influenza vaccines mightiness person been much effectual cannot beryllium excluded," they wrote.

It is besides imaginable that location investigating kits mightiness person missed immoderate infections.

"This survey recovered that influenza vaccination of working-aged adults was associated with a higher hazard of influenza during the 2024-2025 respiratory viral season, suggesting that the vaccine has not been effectual successful preventing influenza this season," the researchers wrote successful the study. (iStock)

Additionally, the survey did not comparison the hazard of flu-related hospitalizations oregon deaths, nor did it measurement whether the vaccine decreased the severity of illness. 

"Our survey of healthcare unit included nary children and fewer elderly subjects, and chiefly consisted of individuals who were steadfast capable to beryllium employed," the researchers wrote. "A number would person been expected to person been severely immunocompromised."

Doctors measurement in

Dr. Marc Siegel, objective prof of medicine astatine NYU Langone Health and Fox News elder aesculapian analyst, reviewed the survey findings and said the results are "misleading."

"It is observational, truthful does not beryllium that the vaccine doesn’t alteration spread," helium told Fox News Digital.

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"The biggest bias I spot is that it is comparing vaccinated healthcare workers (80% are vaccinated against flu) with wide colonisation trends, arsenic the survey doesn’t instrumentality into relationship that healthcare workers are much apt to beryllium exposed to flu successful their profession, truthful we would expect the corruption complaint to beryllium higher, whether vaccinated oregon not."

Siegel besides said helium believes the survey misuses the connection "effectiveness." 

The survey did not comparison the hazard of flu-related hospitalizations oregon deaths, nor did it measurement whether the vaccine decreased the severity of illness.  (iStock)

"The flu vaccine is intended to alteration severity alternatively than alteration spread," helium noted. 

"The existent yardstick for flu vaccine effectiveness is the complaint of hospitalization oregon sojourn to a doctor’s bureau oregon urgent care, which is usually down by good implicit 100,000 per twelvemonth oregon much owed to the vaccine." 

"The flu vaccine is intended to alteration severity alternatively than alteration spread."

This effectiveness varies twelvemonth to twelvemonth based connected however good the vaccine fits the predominant strain, the doc added.

"At the aforesaid time, the flu vaccine tends to alteration viral load, which should alteration wide dispersed wrong a community."

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Dr. Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax, a San Francisco biotechnology company, echoed that the survey has not yet undergone adjacent review.

"We should await that process, arsenic it volition service to cheque statistical methods and different survey plan considerations," helium told Fox News Digital.

"I inactive archer my patients that a payment from receiving the flu vaccine is that adjacent though you whitethorn get the flu, your lawsuit whitethorn not beryllium arsenic terrible arsenic those who did not person the flu vaccine," 1 doc said. (iStock)

"For example, it would beryllium important to regularisation retired reporting avoidance by non-vaccinated Cleveland Clinic employees. Did they person immoderate policies that would discourage non-vaccinated subjects to study illness?"

"The full satellite is affected by influenza, truthful if this improvement is real, it should besides beryllium easy supported by different studies from this season."

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Dr. Mike Sevilla, a household doc based successful Salem, Ohio, agreed that the higher complaint of infection suggests that this year's influenza vaccine was not arsenic effectual arsenic hoped.

"I wouldn't deliberation that this is expected. However, successful comparing erstwhile years, the effectiveness of the yearly flu vaccine tin alteration widely, from astir 10% up to astir 60%," helium said successful an interrogation with Fox News Digital.

"The effectiveness of the yearly flu vaccine tin alteration widely, from astir 10% up to astir 60%."

Sevilla shared that successful his office, helium did spot accrued cases of influenza this season, but not needfully arsenic terrible cases. 

"I inactive archer my patients that a payment from receiving the flu vaccine is that adjacent though you whitethorn get the flu, your lawsuit whitethorn not beryllium arsenic terrible arsenic those who did not person the flu vaccine," helium said.

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"If you person immoderate questions astir vaccines, you tin ever inquire your household physician."

Fox News Digital reached retired to the Cleveland Clinic researchers for comment.