Flu shots have been available since 1933. They were initially provided for military personnel.

But, do they really help people avoid getting influenza? And, who should get one?

The flu shots are designed to teach the body how to fight the virus by providing pieces of the virus’s protein so the body recognizes it the next time it sees the virus. Then the immune system can destroy the virus more quickly the next time it sees the same virus.

The challenge with the influenza virus is that it changes strains (hence, the proteins on the virus) on a regular basis and the body can’t recognize it until it “learns” the new proteins, each and every time.

So, each year the scientists attempt to predict the new strain of the influenza virus and teach the body what it will look like using a vaccination. The vaccination consists of pieces of the virus mixed with preservatives and stabilizers.

The preservative used is Thimerozal which is mercury (which is a heavy metal); the adjuvant is aluminum salts (which is a heavy metal); the stabilizer is sugar and gelatin; and the residual ingredients left over from manufacturing are formaldehyde and neomycin.

The CDC reports the results of the flu season every year. See here for details: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6421a5.htm#Fig2

As you can see from the chart, the incidence of influenza has not decreased with the vaccine. The effectiveness is very low.

REFERENCES: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6421a5.htm#Fig2