The Flu Vaccine Debate: Benefits, Limits, and Controversies

Each winter, adults over 65 and those with chronic illness in the UK are offered a free flu vaccine.

Each GP surgery receives £9.58 per flu vaccination administered, plus reimbursement for the vaccine cost (NHS England, Item of Service Payment 2024–25).

1. What the Vaccine Does

The seasonal flu jab contains inactivated or protein fragments of selected influenza strains chosen months in advance.
It is designed to stimulate antibody production that may lessen illness severity and help reduce viral transmission.

For those over 65, Fluad Tetra includes MF59, an adjuvant made from squalene oil, polysorbate 80, and sorbitan trioleate.
The high-dose Efluelda vaccine quadruples the antigen quantity but contains no adjuvant.

According to manufacturer inserts compiled by JustTheInserts.com, the most common ingredients across flu vaccines include:

  • Inactivated influenza virus antigens (A and B strains)
  • Squalene (MF59 adjuvant)
  • Polysorbate 80
  • Sorbitan trioleate
  • Sodium citrate and citric acid
  • Potassium chloride (also used in lethal injection protocols in high concentrations (induces cardiac arrest)) and sodium chloride
  • Magnesium chloride
  • Hydrogen phosphate and dihydrogen phosphate salts
  • Formaldehyde (trace)
  • Octylphenol ethoxylate (Triton X-100)
  • Egg protein (ovalbumin, trace)
  • Sucrose and phosphate buffer
  • Water for injection

These components differ slightly between manufacturers (Sanofi, Seqirus, GSK).

2. What It Doesn’t Do

The jab cannot guarantee protection; strain mismatch or weak immune response means vaccinated people can still get flu.
The vaccine’s modest benefit is season- and strain-dependent.
In care homes and hospitals, flu outbreaks still occur despite high vaccine uptake.

3. Reported Effectiveness

Average flu vaccine effectiveness ranges from 30–60% relative, equating to a 1–2% absolute reduction in the likelihood of laboratory-confirmed influenza.
Older adults typically have a weaker immune response.

4. Adverse Events

Common reactions: mild injection site pain, fatigue, and low-grade fever.
Rare reactions: Guillain–Barré Syndrome (1–2 cases per million).
Pandemrix (2009) was withdrawn following confirmed links to narcolepsy.

5. Mortality and Disease Data

Data from ONS and UKHSA indicate influenza contributes to 10,000–18,000 deaths per year in England and Wales.
These deaths are often linked to complications such as pneumonia or heart failure.

6. Financial and Marketing Factors

GP surgeries receive a direct payment of £9.58 for each vaccination and are reimbursed for vaccine supply costs.
Vaccines are marketed nationally via text messages, posters, and online campaigns.
Individual contraindications, ingredient sensitivities, and long-term cumulative effects are not routinely discussed during these campaigns.  So just because you are offered the jab, it doesn’t mean you *have* to take up the offer!

7. Repeated Exposure and Neurological Risk

Independent researchers, including Dr Vernon Coleman, have reported potential associations between repeated annual flu boosters and an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.  Long term studies have yet to be done, but there is no financial incentive to do thus.

8. Independent Analyses

  • Dr Suzanne Humphries (Dissolving Illusions) — documented that improved hygiene, sanitation, and nutrition preceded declines in infectious disease mortality.

  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Vax–Unvax) — compiled comparative data between vaccinated and unvaccinated populations.

  • Both note potential risks from adjuvants such as squalene and polysorbate 80, which may cross biological barriers and provoke immune overstimulation in some individuals.

Key Summary Takeaways

  • Efficacy: Partial — may lessen severity but does not prevent flu; effectiveness varies yearly and by strain.

  • Risk: Mostly mild reactions; rare autoimmune complications such as Guillain–Barré syndrome (1–2 per million).

  • Mortality: 10,000–18,000 UK deaths each year despite vaccination, due to weak immune response in older adults and rapid viral change.

  • GP Incentive: £9.58 per jab plus reimbursement for vaccine cost, creating a financial incentive for widespread promotion.  Arguably a massive conflict of interest, with little attention given to individual health responses.

  • Ingredients: inactivated virus antigens, squalene, polysorbate 80, sorbitan trioleate, phosphate salts, formaldehyde, Triton X-100, and egg protein.

  • Adverse Examples: Pandemrix withdrawn after narcolepsy reports; repeated boosters linked with increased dementia/Alzheimer’s risk (V. Coleman).

  • Context: Historical declines in infectious disease pre-date vaccination programmes, correlating with improved sanitation and nutrition.

  • Decision: Personal — best made after reviewing one’s current health, risk factors, and available research, bearing in mind that much relevant information has been censored or suppressed in recent years.  Russian roulette, anyone?

References

NHS England – Vaccination & Immunisation Services: Item of Service Payments (2024–25)
UKHSA / ONS Influenza Mortality Statistics
JustTheInserts.com – Influenza Vaccine Inserts
Coleman, V. How the Truth Is Suppressed
Humphries, S. Dissolving Illusions
Kennedy, R.F. Jr. Vax–Unvax

A reading list is supplied on demand.