There is little medical evidence that the vaccines have any kind of beneficial effect, even for vulnerable people with asthma and cystic fibrosis, he said.Vaccines given to children under the age of two have the same effect as if they were given a dummy drug, he added.Tom Jefferson, co-ordinator of the vaccines field of the highly-respected Cochrane Collaboration, called for an “urgent” re-evaluation of vaccination campaigns.Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), he said that, because influenza viruses mutate and vary from year to year, it was difficult for scientists to study the precise effects of vaccines.Most studies are of poor quality, and there is little comparative evidence on the safety of the vaccines, he said…. He continued: “A similar philosophy is the ‘we have to make decisions and cannot wait to have perfect data’ approach.”In a separate background paper, Dr Jefferson said: “Reviews show a consistent picture of modest or no effect of inactivated vaccines and poor quality of the original studies, especially those that are not randomised controlled trials.”Referring to the gap between policy and evidence, he said that “given the huge resources involved in yearly vaccination campaigns, a re-evaluation should be urgently undertaken”.Earlier this month, there were fears that vulnerable people in the UK might have to wait for flu jabs after the Government confirmed stocks would arrive late.The jab is given to high-risk groups first, including the over-65s, people with respiratory conditions such as asthma, and those with chronic conditions such as diabetes.