Page 182 - Fortune-November 01, 2018

PA
PA G EGE
5 5

This Vaccine of hospitalizations
related to the flu
CEO Doesn’t spiked sharply.
Public health
Get a Flu Shot. officials insist that
everyone 6 months of
age and older should
Should You? get a seasonal flu
shot, since it’s the
America spends $1.8 billion on flu most reliable method FILL UP NOW
shots every year. Are they worth it? of preventing trans-
By Sy Mukherjee mission. The elderly APINCHATTHE
and young children PUMPIN2019
AT FORTUNE’S recent Most are most at risk. The
PUBLIC HEALTH
Powerful Women vaccine’s effective-
WE’VE BEEN FILL-
Summit, the CEO of an Alzheimer’s ness varies because ing up our SUVs for
vaccine company made a striking state- batches have to be under $50 for the
ment about flu shots: She doesn’t always made before the flu past three years, as
get one. Asked whether she’s optimistic season begins, mean- prices for crude have
that a successful Alzheimer’s vaccine ing it’s essentially a hovered between
would gain widespread use given that guessing game for $50 and $60 per bar-
rel. No more. Despite
Americans aren’t exactly great at getting scientists. But even President Trump’s
their flu shots—United Neuroscience chief if you’re not at high UN speech implor-
Mei Mei Hu pointed out that flu vaccines risk for contracting ing OPEC to increase
“aren’t very effective.” the infection, health output, traders are
The data shows that plenty of Ameri- experts point out that expecting sanctions
cans feel the same way. In fact, less than it’s still important to on Iran will result in
40% of people old enough to get a flu shot get a shot in order the cartel delivering
significantly fewer
got one in fall 2017, according to the Cen- to preserve “herd barrels in the last
ters for Disease Control (CDC). immunity”—or hav- quarter of 2018,
Perhaps that’s not surprising, given ing enough people pushing crude to
that flu vaccine effectiveness oscillates inoculated against $100 in early 2019.
wildly from year to year. Since 2004, the the flu to minimize Another wrench:
vaccine’s efficacy has ranged from 10% the risk of passing it Saudi Arabia, usu-
ally an ally in OPEC,
to a high of 60%. Last year’s flu shot was on to more vulner- could use oil prices
about 40% effective, although the number able people. as a defense against
sanctions related to
the death of journal-
ist Jamal Khashoggi.

JEROME POWELL is criticizing monetary 5%
CHEAP MONEY
feeling the heat after policy, recounting SY RINGE: T S PHO T OGR A PH Y—GE T T Y IM AGES; GAS NOZ ZLE: S T E V E MC A LIS T ER—GE TTY IM AGES
increasing interest that Bill Clinton was 4 FEDERAL FUNDS
THE rates in September, inclined to comment TARGET RATE/RANGE
POLITICIZED a move that brought on Alan Greenspan 3 OCT. 12, 2018
fierce criticism from
raising rates in 1994
FEDSPARKS the President who ap- before being talked 2 2.00% - 2.25%
YELLEN’S pointed him as Federal out of it. “There’s no 1
CONCERN Reserve chair. His pre- law against it,” she
said. “But I don’t think
decessor, Janet Yellen,
has sounded a warn- it’s wise.” 0
ing on the White House —DANIEL BENTLEY 2005 2010 2015 2018
SOURCE: FEDERAL RESERVE

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