We’ve all run across reactionary reporting on science and health issues. I think today’s example is particularly egregious, even given the source.

Today, the Guardian UK gives the headline, “Expert casts doubt on flu vaccine” in which the first line of the article is, “Flu vaccines may not be as effective as people think, an expert has warned.”

Responsible science reporting should not sum up a complex article on the need for better epidemiology studies as “flu vaccines might not be as effective as people think” because one can interpret that statement in many different ways. In a fast read, it might seem that flu vaccines are being called ineffective.

The background: in the British Medical Journal, Tom Jefferson, co-ordinator of the vaccines field of the Cochrane Collaboration, stated that there was an urgent need for re-evaluation of vaccination campaigns for safety and effectiveness precisely because the data and the problem is so complex.

According to parts of the Guardian, however, it appears that Mr. Jefferson is calling into question the effectiveness of the vaccine itself.

I’ve looked at the original article at the British Medical Journal and found that the author is painting a complex picture, stating that the health picture of influenza is complex, has limited value for public health policy and safety studies, and needs to be re-evaluated.

Mr. Jeffersom provides the numbers, and the reasoning behind his evaluation.

It’s a good read, but it’s not saying flu vaccine isn’t effective. Mr. Jefferson is saying that there’s little evidence that the vaccine is effective in particular groups under particular measures because of difficulties doing the studies in question.

A lack of evidence because of difficult studies isn’t “may not be as effective”. Someone should tell the Guardian that. I’ll wait to see how many other news media jump on the “flu vaccine not effective” bandwagon.

See article here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6174061,00.html

See original BMJ here: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/short/333/7574/912?ehom=#TBL2