Is the flu shot a waste of money?

Vaccine researcher Tom Jefferson [from the Cochrane Library, which analyses medical findings] reviewed all the studies of flu shot effectiveness and found the evidence isn't at all clear-cut.

TOM JEFFERSON: In some cases they are effective, at a lot lower threshold than what is claimed, and in some cases the evidence is just not there or is contradictory.

For instance, Jefferson says there's no evidence the shots prevent hospitalization or deaths in the elderly or the very young. They do cut flu transmission among healthy adults. But he says that barely affects the estimated $9.5 billion that flu absenteeism costs American companies.

…Experts say the cost of flu vaccination in the U.S. this year could reach $2 billion.

Jefferson's paper is Influenza vaccination: policy versus evidence.