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Comment by de_watcher | Hacker News Reader

That's so weirdly American: a top-voted post about flu shots. On EU forums literally nobody brings this up somehow.

Because everyone gets the flu shot in EU, or because nobody cares?

It's not that nobody cares. I think it's more encouraged for the elderly or other "at risk" groups whatever that might be but it's not really being pushed for anyone else. I'm in my 30s and have lived in the EU my entire life and I have literally never had one, for example.

Unfortunately (in my eyes), only a part of the population regularly gets flu shots. A bit better ratio in the endangered part of the population, but it would help, if not so many of the low-risk population would get and transmit the flu. Just a few weeks ago, some schools nearby Munich had to close for a few days due to high flu numbers amongst the pupils.

No unless you're at risk (old person or with medical issues) you usually don't get the flu shot. The reason is to actually to build the so-called "herd immunity" I think. Same thing with antibiotics (no need to give evolutionary "ammunition" to virus and bacteria if we don't need to).

>The reason is to actually to build the so-called "herd immunity" I think. Same thing with antibiotics (no need to give evolutionary "ammunition" to virus and bacteria if we don't need to).

I don't think that's the right comparison. Herd immunity refers to stopping a disease by spreading by making enough of the population immune so it can't spread. It doesn't have anything to do with evolutionary pressures or superbugs, like what you're alluding to with your second sentence.

There's a misunderstanding here. Vaccine confers immunity to an individual. Herd immunity means that an infection cannot get a foothold in a community if a certain portion of the members are immune.

Widespread vaccination is important exactly because it produces herd immunity.

In the US, health authorities encourage the entire population to get an annual flu shot. My understanding is that most European health authorities are more skeptical.

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