Several years ago, when I was offered the pneumonia jab, I looked into its effectiveness. Apparently, pneumonia is caused by a hotch-potch of bacteria, largely Pneumococci, and the blend of the vaccine may or may not be appropriate in all cases; i.e. it is of limited effectiveness. I thought that I had nothing to lose and went ahead regardless - though a friend who had had the jab went on to catch pneumonia ..... twice.
Pathogenic bacteria and viruses can interact, and take advantage of an immune system that has already been compromised. When my son was being detained by the Indonesian military, he managed to catch dengue fever (mosquito-transmitted virus). Whilst he suffered a short period of flu-like symptoms, his pilot - who was recovering from shingles, nearly died from dengue.
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