[Hinrik]

What doubt? The momentary mismanagement of one nation's disease control unit means you'll ignore the globally-realized benefits of the greatest life-saving achievement of modern medicine?

Sounds a bit like you were searching for an excuse for a conclusion you arrived at already for other reasons.

[dredmorbius]

All due respect to vaccines, and the comment you're responding to is absolutely idiotic, they're only accounting for a small fraction of longevity and mortality improvements over the past 200 years.

The bulk of advances predate either development of widespread vaccination (largely 1930s - 1960s), or antibiotics (1940s), to say nothing of organ transplants (1950s-), cancer treatments (roughly same), imaging (1900s-), and advanced laproscopic surgeries (1970s-).

Basic sanitation (sewerage & solid waste), water purification, food safety, vector control (mosquitos), physical safety (falls, streets/transport, machinery), environment (soot, lead, asbestos, poisons), habits (smoke, drink, drugs), childbirth & childcare, sex ed, nutrition, and simple basic access to medical care count for far more.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uTWEATUzgxk/TXQoTibILtI/AAAAAAAAAA...

Context: http://economicspsychologypolicy.blogspot.com/2011/03/conque...

I'm not disputing that vaccines are a powerful and beneficial tool, but that "the greatest life-saving achievement of modern medicine" is not in fact vaccination, but basic (and often quite pedestrian) public health measures.

This has been Laurie Garrett's thesis since at least the mid-1990s. And yes, she's also a strong vaccine advocate:

https://www.lauriegarrett.com/betrayal-of-trust

https://greatpoliticalbooks.com/betrayal-of-trust-by-laurie-...

[1996]

You are free to consider mycomment idiotic.

However, I will decide on yearly flu shots and others based on my own analysis, as clearly government sources have other things in mind that my best interest.

For example, I will wait 6 to 12 month after a covid vaccine is available to check postmarket studies.

A counter example is papillomavirus and shingles (vzw) vaccines, that I have decided to get, even if it's not recommended for me.