Flu vaccine is only 18 percent effective, CDC says

[bananas]

Source: NJ.com

Federal officials this week said this season's flu vaccine, already acknowledged to be not highly effective, is performing worse than earlier estimated.

The vaccine is only 18 percent effective against the dominant H3N2 strain of the flu in circulation, according to HealthDay, a National Institutes of Health online news publication. That's down from a predicted effectiveness level of around 23 percent, estimated in mid-January.

The vaccine's effectiveness is lower for children 2-8, who are more susceptible to harsher flu symptoms than adults with fully developed immune systems. The injected vaccine is only 15 percent effective this season for them, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.

Even worse, the nasal spray vaccine showed potentially no benefit to young children, it said. "Neither vaccine worked well in protecting against H3N2 viruses this season" for children, it said.

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Read more: http://www.nj.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2015/02/flu_vaccine_is_only_18-percent_effective_cdc_says.html

[ManiacJoe]

1. They knew the percentage would be low from the start.

But probably not this low.

Mother Nature cannot always be predicted successfully.

[BlueJazz]

2. Just Asking. I thought this information was a well-known fact several weeks ago?

[wyldwolf]

3. It was. This isn't 'latest breaking' news

[bananas]

5. No, they thought it was 23% effective

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014990777

[geomon666]

4. Woo I'm one of the 18%!

All you lowly commoners can keep your germs.

[BlueJazz]

7. Ha! I just E-mailed Mr. Skinner and he's going to put a tab (at the bottom of your post)..

...that says "Apply germs here"

[geomon666]

16. Make sure it's only affluenza

I have standards.

[pnwmom]

6. We all did get the flu this year, but for me it wasn't as bad as in past cases of flu --

at least I didn't get viral pneumonia afterwards. (Like I often did before I started getting the vaccine every year.) So I think the vaccine helped some, just not enough.

[onehandle]

8. So bad guess this year. But I have been flu-free since 1997.

So far, no flu this year. I've been vaccinated each year.

I've been getting my stabs every year and I will continue to.

Screw the anti-vaxxers.

[LiberalElite]

10. Yup. It's like a Rite of Autumn for me nt

[Warpy]

11. I think it likely conferred partial immunity

because I had a case of "was that the flu?" this year, it lasted 8 hours with a mild cough over the next 4 days.

I'll take it.

[onehandle]

12. I had a cold that turned into a nasal infection.

My doctor said that it wasn't the Flu. That there was a lot of other viruses running around out there.

No fever or fatigue. He prescribed antibiotics, which knocked it out in a day or two.

This was a, is a, really bad year for everything other than Flu, seemingly.

[Warpy]

15. Nah, flu was epidemic, I wasn't sneezing, and had the high fever and body aches

for all of 8 hours. Then the mild cough.

[Treant]

18. I had the same, but

mine was a week of "I don't feel good at all." The doctor's call was, "Maybe flu, but we'd have to test and there's no reason to."

This is much better than two weeks of "please, kill me," so I'll be getting the flu jab this year just like I have every other.

[frylock]

20. i had the same experience

[NickB79]

25. Same here. Lost a Saturday, but not too bad otherwise

Might have been the flu, but it wasn't a bad flu.

Not like the flu I had 7 years ago that put me in bed for almost a week and had me coughing up blood.

That was the last year I didn't get my shot.

[840high]

22. So will I.

[LiberalElite]

9. Oh well some times they get it right

and sometimes they don't. I have asthma, got the flu shot as usual but I've made liberal use of the disinfectant hand gel the past couple of months. So far, so good.

[Journeyman]

13. That's almost 20% more protection than I had before I got the shot in December . . .

and so far, no illness yet, so if I'm lucky enough to be in the 18% I'll be lucky enough to have 100% effectiveness.

[littlemissmartypants]

14. Why is this LBN?

[LovingA2andMI]

17. Good question, and

[RufusTFirefly]

19. Luckily, the fortune the pharmaceutical industry made was 100 percent effective. n/t

[Ilsa]

21. Even at only 18%, I'll take the shot.

You never know when partial immunity might be conferred and give you a briefer, milder illness vs full-blown flu.

[Lunabell]

23. NO SHIT!

I have had the shot for several years now, hadn't had the flu in years. Then BOOM! This year, I have had it twice! No not a cold. The fevers, body aches, stuffy nose, chest congestion, nausea, no appetite, can't seem to get myself opp the couch FLU! I am just now recovering from the 2nd round. UGH!

[shanti]

24. 82% chance of getting the flu

after getting the vaccine.....awesome. might as well just use zinc tabs.

oh, and a FYI to older DU'ers who've already received a pneumonia vaccine...there's a new one out now. i got mine last week.