Major media loves to publicize exceedingly rare complications of vaccines. With the flu shot season in full swing, a case of a man contracting Guillan-Barre syndrome is making headlines. This is literally a one in a million complication, but you wouldn’t know that from the alarmist headline.
The flu shot vaccination rate is still too low, and Sam Solomon urges some perspective:
Did CBC News act responsibly by publicizing the story of one man whose case, according to a neurologist, is not representative and not making sufficiently clear the calculations and balancing of risks that have gone into developing public health and vaccination recommendations over the years? There’s no denying the public has a right to know what is going on, but at some point the editorial decision-making process has to draw a line about what is newsworthy and what is sensationalist.
Vaccines are safe. Don’t be fooled by the attention-grabbing headlines.
