40 - Stumped on Getting the Flu Vaccine? This History Will Help

2025-03-20

Hey Mama, If you’ve ever had the flu, you know it’s no joke—the fever, the chills, the total wipeout. And while none of us are eager for a repeat experience, the flu isn’t going anywhere. That’s why flu vaccines are such a hot topic, recommended for just about everyone six months and older. But how did we even get here? In this episode, we’re taking a fascinating deep dive into the history of the flu vaccine — because understanding where something started can give us better insight into where we stand today.

Hey Mama,

If you’ve ever had the flu, you know it’s no joke—the fever, the chills, the total wipeout. And while none of us are eager for a repeat experience, the flu isn’t going anywhere. That’s why flu vaccines are such a hot topic, recommended for just about everyone six months and older. But how did we even get here?

In this episode, we’re taking a fascinating deep dive into the history of the flu vaccine — because understanding where something started can give us better insight into where we stand today.

We’ll go all the way back to the 1918 pandemic, explore how the first flu vaccines were developed (including some truly eyebrow-raising testing methods), and uncover key moments that shaped the flu shot as we know it.

From military experiments to major public health campaigns — some successful, some… not so much — we’ll break down the twists and turns of flu vaccine history and what it means for us now. Plus, we’ll talk about where flu prevention is headed, including new technologies and alternative approaches to staying healthy.

Whether you’re pro-shot, vaccine-curious, or just pro-research, this episode is packed with insight, stories, and a few surprises. Let’s get into it!

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Sources:

https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/history-of-vaccination/history-of-influenza-vaccination

Lasky T, Terracciano G, Magder L, et al. “The Guillain-Barré syndrome and the 1992-1993 and 1993-1994 influenza vaccines.” NEJM 1998;339(25):1797-802.

Schonberger L, Bregman D, Sullivan-Bolyai J, et al. “Guillain-Barre syndrome following vaccination in the National Influenza Immunization Program, United States, 1976–1977.” Am J Epidemiol 1979; 110(5):105–23.

Geier M, Geier D, Zahalsky A. “Influenza vaccination and Guillain Barre syndrome small star, filled.” Clin Immunol 2003;107(2):116-21.

Eric A. Biondi, MD, MS; C. Andrew Aligne, MD, MPH “Flu Vaccine for All: A Critical Look at the Evidence.” Medscape December 21, 2015

Brownlee S, Lenzer J. Does the vaccine matter? The Atlantic. November 2009. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200911/brownlee-h1n1

Jefferson T, Rivetti A, Di Pietrantonj C, Demicheli V, Ferroni E. “Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy children.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;8:CD004879. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004879.pub4/abstract

Jefferson T, Di Pietrantonj C, Rivetti A, Bawazeer GA, Al-Ansary LA, Ferroni E. “Vaccines to prevent influenza in healthy adults”. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;3:CD001269. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001269.pub5/abstract;jsessionid=96780A7CC76A9AF58372894444AE3F04.f02t03

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