To the Editor:

In response to the Dec. 14-Dec. 20 North Country This Week Letter to the Editor “SUNY Potsdam Student Aims to Clear Up Flu Shot Misconceptions,” I would like to offer some other information so that people of all ages can make a truly informed decision.

The Cochrane Collaboration is a global independent network and represents an international gold standard for high quality, trusted information. Some partners are the World Health Organization, Wikipedia, Wiley Publishing, national government agencies, universities, etc.

The Cochrane Collaboration has done extensive review into studies of the flu vaccine for various age groups. What they generally find is that most studies have bias and insufficient reporting details. A lot of studies do not report adverse effects and there is a variability in the study design that makes meta-analysis virtually impossible.

This is not surprising, as government agencies manipulated numbers in a computerized simulation until desirable results were obtained in order to get Medicare, since 1993, to see an economic benefit to funding flu shots for the elderly.

For decades, a criticism of vaccine research has remained that studies are too small, have inadequate lengths of follow-up, inadequate definitions, etc. Because research has not improved, the problems remain as shown by the Cochrane studies of the flu vaccine. Thus, it is no surprise that the (Centers for Disease Control) CDC is not a member of the Collaboration. Vaccine proponents do not desire or push for adequate controlled studies.

Instead, since 2004 it has been documented that the CDC advises medical professionals to generate public fear to motivate high vaccine use (CDC presentation to the American Medical Association), “Getting Ready for 2004-2005: Lessons (Re-)Learned (Including the Seven-Step Recipe for Generating Interest in and Demand for, Flu (or any other) Vaccination).” Sadly, no one really knows how effective or safe the vaccines are because, as the Cochrane Collaboration found, studies are based on poor date and methodologies.

Without the international medical bureaucracy that controls the vaccine industry and government intervention by way of various kinds of taxpayer subsidies and mandates, demand for vaccines would fall.

So, how does one deal with this disease? Basically, by going back to the basics – washing hands (which too many people are not doing) eating healthy, and rest. Considering our lack of winter sun, taking at least 2,000 IU of Vitamin D every day as recommended by enlightened doctors, and other vitamins and herbs that can be found in health food stores or the Potsdam Food Co-op may help further flu better than the flu vaccine.

Bonnie P. Franz

Ogdensburg