Quote Originally Posted by Returnofrros View Post
They now think the total deaths this year will be more or less the same as any other year.

Also found out today there was 28k flu deaths in 2000.

Got my flu jag Friday, felt **** as usual for a day or two.

Question for you Islay.

I know you have said in the past the the boffins guess which flu strain will be most likely in any year......what's their record like on this, generally correct? Always correct?

And why do under 65s get a different vaccine from over 65s....any idea?
I do not know the answer to either question but I only found out about the boffins guessing the flu strain at least 18 months in advance as a result of my father being in a nursing home.
I had previously signed a form giving permission for my father to receive his annual flu jag each October as my Dad was suffering from vascular dementia.
The following March I speaking to one of the nursing home staff who told me that my father had managed to avoid the outbreak of flu which took place in the nursing home. I replied that he should have been OK as he has received his annual flu jag the previous October.
That is when I was told about the boffins trying to work out the strain of the flu virus which would hit the U.K. in 18 months time and on that occasion the boffins picked the wrong strain of the virus.
There is absolutely no chance of Public Health Scotland admitting how often the flu jags are no use as they did not protect the strain of the flu virus for that year.
It will just be reported as a higher number of frail and elderly people throughout Scotland succumbed to flu than in a normal year.