This year's flu vaccine is potentially the least effective ever - what you should know:
Bottom Line: It's always advisable to follow your doctor's recommendations. For many those recommendations include obtaining your flu vaccine. That being said, we know all doesn't always work out as planned. The flu vaccine is often one of these circumstances. The reason people get flu shots? To avoid obtaining the flu of course. How often is it highly effective? The odds are generally against it and you. The CDC has tracked the flu vaccine's effectiveness with its current methodology (adjusting for demographics) since 2004. Here's the scorecard.
- Most effective: 60% (2010)
- Least effective: 10% (2004)
- Average of the previous thirteen years - 41%
Only four of the previous thirteen years have included vaccines that were more effective in combating the flu than not. The reason for this is pretty simple. The flu vaccine is configured most years in April/May and finalized in June. What commonly happens to viruses? They mutate! That's why no two flu vaccines are the same for example. So, by the time flu season rolls around there's often a better than not chance that the strain you'll come across has moved on from whatever form of evil the scientists were attempting to combat. This year is proving to especially problematic.
According to current estimates the flu vaccine is only 10% effective this year - which would tie the record low if that number sticks. That's a contributing factor to what's proving to be the worst flu season in years.
This week often represents the peak of flu season as more people are close together for the holidays and you can't count on your flu shot to keep you safe from the current form of pure evil making the rounds this year. Good hygiene and discretion are currently, and usually, your best bets.