Re: Helmet efficacy test

On 3/31/2025 12:56 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

On 3/31/2025 12:39 PM, Radey Shouman wrote:

>
Actually I was talking to Mr. Krygowski.  It seems to me that his
standards for studies on flu shots are different to those for bike
helmets, and I was curious as to what had convinced him of the efficacy
and safety of flu shots.

 As I said, there is nationwide, ~ whole population data indicating flu vaccines have high effectiveness in preventing infection and/or hospitalization. There is no such nationwide data for bike helmets, and indeed nationwide data shows no apparent benefit. And there are serious weaknesses in many or most helmet promoting studies.
 But more important, in my mind, is that helmet promoters almost without exception falsely portray simple bicycle rides as an important and serious risk for serious brain injury. (By not promoting helmets for pedestrians or motorists, they imply that cycling is a bigger risk.) Yet any unbiased examination of TBI epidemiology shows that cycling is not an unusual TBI risk. In fact, you're much more likely to get a serious case of influenza than to suffer a serious TBI from riding a bike.
 

On every topic I can remember, save bike helmets and infrastructure,
Mr. Krygowski tells us to believe the annointed experts.

 :-)  Of course, your memory is limited!
 

For what it's worth I think Mr. Krygowski is closer to right than wrong
on the subject of bike helmets...

 Thank you.
 

Influenza vaccine requires a stab at a moving target of virus evolution and so may or may not be effective inherently year to year in that manufacturers need to commit to production before the annual 'most preponderant strain' is known.  This is not a failure, it's just the background problem.
Most recent influenza:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/flu-shot-effectiveness-2023-2024-season/
Other vaccines have different efficacy due to other factors.   Pneumococcal vaccine for example:
https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2018/0501/od3.html
or DPT:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31009031/
--
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971