Death following flu vaccination?

Flu season has officially begun (Oct - March) and flu vaccination is recommended for everyone from age 6 months and up. While there is much debate about efficacy and safety of vaccinations in general a cluster of deaths soon after vaccination should be very attention getting. There is a report of 5 deaths within 1 week of flu vaccination at an assisted living facility in GA.

This should raise some important questions: 

- Was consent obtained from those individuals who were able to provide their own consent? 

- For those who were not able to provide consent, was their legal guardian contacted and 

  *informed* consent obtained?

- Which flu vaccine was used (brand name/manufacturer/lot number/expiration date)? 

- Has the medical director of the facility made a report to VAERS? 

Let's hope the producer of the vaccine does not resort to the Wyeth method of managing a cluster of bad outcomes following vaccination: 

Vaccines are not a panacea against infectious disease, nor should they be viewed and/or treated as such. 

The only person who bears responsibility for the consequences of vaccination (in particular adverse events) is the person who is vaccinated - neither providers, nor manufacturers bear any liability. This risk-benefit equation is lop-sided, and wrong. 

The primary purpose of this blog is discussing freedom to accept or decline vaccination without being coerced, manipulated, or threatened ... let's hope that no one in this facility felt pressured in any way to be vaccinated (either residents or health care workers).

Update (12.4.2014): the first link above ("report") takes the reader to the Health Impact News story that has updated information contradicting/clarifying the initial report (which was an anonymous allegation of with very little detail).

Here is a report from Italy about deaths in seniors following receipt of flu vaccine ... and the Italian government has taken the step of suspending use of the vaccine until more information is obtained (all the while being very careful to deny a link between the vaccine and the deaths ... the action seemingly contradictory to the statement).