From TheHolisticOption.com--Flu Trends Predicts, But Offers Only Vaccination As Prevention

Google's Flu Tracker May Be Effective, But Promoting Mass Vaccination Does More Harm Than Good


by Kelly L Campbell

As described on it's website, Google.org is a hybrid philanthropy that aspires to use the power of information and technology to address the global challenges of our age: climate change, poverty and emerging disease. 'Flu Trends' is the latest in Google.org's prediction and prevention tools.

In a CNN report, Elizabeth Landau explains that "If you have a fever, headache and runny nose, you might go to Google and type the words "flu symptoms" to see whether you've come down with influenza. Google knows that you might do something like that, and it also knows which U.S. state you're in. Now, it's putting that information together in a tool that Google – [now ten years old] – says could detect flu outbreaks faster than traditional systems currently in use. Flu Trends, looks at the relative popularity of a slew of flu-related search terms to determine where in the U.S. flu outbreaks may be occurring."

The traditional measure of the spread of influenza has involved physicians' reports of patients with flu-like symptoms, lab reports of confirmed influenza cases, as well as death certificates.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated with Google on the project, helping validate and refine the model, and has provided flu tracking data over a five-year period", said Dr. Joseph Bresee, chief of the epidemiology and prevention branch in the CDC's influenza division.

The idea seems ingenious, but there are obvious limitations to the tool at this point. Dr. Randall Stafford, associate professor of medicine at Stanford University's Prevention Research Center, (who was not involved in the project) agrees. "The tool may miss cases of influenza spreading among elderly people, because they are less likely to use the Internet than younger people", Stafford said. [In addition], many people who search for flu-related terms have viral infections that are not actually influenza." Or if someone were simply writing an article about influenza or vaccination and used Google for research, that data may be included as well.

The bigger issue that is not being written about in the mainstream media is that Google's collaboration with the CDC may prove to be harmful to healthy people who do not necessarily need influenza vaccinations (flu shots). When visiting Google's Flu Trends, one needs only to look at the right column of the page which provides the CDC's logo, a link to its website and a definition of influenza – which would be enough to scare anyone into thinking that they absolutely needed a flu shot. Upon visiting the site again (or simply refreshing the page), the CDC's definition becomes a recommendation for prevention, entitled 'First Step: Flu Vaccine'. So, Google provides a 'Flu Shot Locator' – sourced from the American Lung Association – which allows you to find a location where you can get vaccinated within 5 miles of your home or work.

As convenient as that sounds, there is no mention of the populations that are at higher risk due to weakened immune systems. No mention of natural preventative measures that can keep those with healthy immune systems healthy. No mention of the toxic chemicals and materials that are the ingredients in flu shots. And no mention of the risks of – and diseases associated with – getting the influenza vaccine. The truth is that mass vaccination is great for big pharma business. And it becomes a win-win situation for the conventional medical industry when the government subsidizes the pharmaceutical companies to provide vaccinations for every man, woman and child, AND, for those who end up getting sick from the annual shot – whether short term/acute or long-term/chronic conditions – it translates into more business for doctors.

Online resources, such as TheHolisticOption.com, provide a plethora of information on the flu shot debate, as well as natural remedies and preventative measures that people can take to strengthen their immune systems, especially during flu season. Should they decide for themselves that the health risks associated with getting vaccinated greatly outweigh the chances that the flu shot will actually protect them against the three most probably strains, there are many xxxx. A recent article, The Yearly Flu Shot Debate, by Dr. Christine Gonzalez, Integrative Pharmacist and Certified Health Coach, reads "With so much controversy in the press regarding the link between mercury in vaccines and neurotoxicity (autism and Alzheimer’s disease), no wonder people are concerned and confused. While the benefit of flu vaccination for groups at high-risk for serious flu complications is well established, the actual benefit versus potential risk for the average healthy adult is highly debated. Some of the main issues on the table surround the effectiveness of the flu vaccine and the safety of additives used in some of the formulations. Not surprisingly, the importance of proper self-care and immune support as a means to stay flu-free is often overlooked."

In an effort to educate the American public and help create a more informed, empowered society, TheHolisticOption.com published a comprehensive listing of the health risks associated with vaccine ingredients – ingredients which can be found on the CDC's website and on WAVE's website (World Association for Vaccine Education) – entitled 'What's in a Vaccine or Flu Shot?'.

Since Google has now established itself as the most influential search engine in the world, used by millions of people daily, doesn't it have a responsibility, at the very least, to provide information on both traditional and natural preventions for the flu its predicting? With a decision as important as getting a flu shot, the go-to search engine's Flu Trends should be as comprehensive in presenting information as, say, the search engine itself.