A preprint Cleveland Clinic study found that health care workers who received the 2024-2025 trivalent flu vaccine were more likely to test positive for the flu than unvaccinated health care workers. Vaccine opponents shared the study, claiming it proves the flu vaccine is ineffective and harmful. The study has not yet been peer reviewed (vetted by other experts.) A popular social media post proclaimed, “Get the shot get the disease!” Other posts called for flu vaccines to be pulled from the market, declaring them a “failure.”
Recommendation
Flu vaccine uptake has been declining since the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among older adults who are at the highest risk from the flu. One of the leading reasons for flu vaccine hesitancy is the belief that it isn’t effective. Debunking messaging may explain that vaccination is the best protection against the flu, reducing the risk of infection, severe illness, complications, hospitalization, and death. Additionally, communicators may wish to emphasize that no study has found that flu vaccines increase the risk of catching the flu.
Fact-checking sources: Health, Politifact
