A Flu Shot This Year Could Cut Your Chances of Getting the Virus in Half
If you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, there is still time to do so. We now also know how effective this is likely to be.
On Friday, the CDC released its interim estimates of the effectiveness of the 2019-2020 seasonal influenza vaccine . Overall, he estimates that this year’s vaccine is 45% effective in adults and 55% effective in children and adolescents. This is a pretty significant increase over last year’s vaccine. Its effectiveness was only 29% due to the outbreak of the virus at the end of the season.
This year, influenza affected mainly two different strains of the virus: A / H1N1 and B / Victoria. The vaccine is 50% effective against B / Victoria; however, it is only 37% effective against A / H1N1. The vaccine is nearly ineffective against influenza A / H1N1 in people between the ages of 18 and 49, but that’s not a reason not to get it .
The more people get vaccinated against the flu, the healthier the general population will be and the less likely the virus will spread.
The CDC estimates there have been about 26 million cases of influenza reported this year, a quarter of a million of which have resulted in hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths, including 105 children.
The CDC generally recommends getting the flu shot for adults and children over 6 months of age by the end of October each year. The flu season can last until May in the United States, so if you’re not already sick, getting vaccinated now could potentially lower your chances of getting the virus over the next few months.