What is it about?

Vaccines have very well known specific effects which are highly beneficial but also have less recognised nonspecific effects. The nonspecific effects can also be beneficial but can less often cause disbenefit. This article discusses the possibility that infeluenza and COVID-19 vaccination may have nonspecific effects.

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Why is it important?

Up to the present it has been largely assumed that vaccines do not have nonspecific effects, hence, there is no need to investigate such a possibility.

Perspectives

I entered the UK NHS back in the early 1990s. At that time there were a number of large influenza epidemics. Influenza vaccination at that time was very low and we were all informed that vaccination levels would substantially increase and the problem would be solved. In 2020 I suddenly realized that while influenza vaccination had indeed substantially increased there had been no seeming effect against winter mortality. Thousands of studies have demonstrated the benefit of influenza vaccination against influenza deaths so why had winter all-cause mortality no been reduced.

Dr Rodney P Jones
Healthcare Analysis & Forecasting

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This page is a summary of: Could some vaccines have unanticipated effects against NHS winter pressures?, Journal of Paramedic Practice, June 2023, Mark Allen Group,
DOI: 10.12968/jpar.2023.15.6.251.
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