US Govt Drops Ball on Flu Vaccine for 2015, Only 23 Percent Effective

Government bundled the wrong type of flu strains into their vaccines this year, meaning that flu jabs were much less effective than they could have been.

MOSCOW, January 16 (Sputnik) – This year's seasonal flu vaccine is only 23 percent effective, according to a lab study, the CDC announced in a report released on Friday. The number is considered low in relation to previous years, according to the report.

This year's formula is ineffective because one of the six strains of the flu, H3N2, began to morph significantly after the formula was finalized. As a result, the vaccine was no longer effective for over two-thirds of the H3N2 viruses, according to the Washington Post.

Flu vaccines in previous years were 50 to 60 percent effective, according to the AP, although CDC doctors are still advising people to get the vaccine.

.@sarahkliff Low vaccine efficacy disappointing, but vax still well worth it. No other way to prevented 23% of millions of flu illnesses.

— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrFriedenCDC) 15 января 2015

Because the vaccine is still effective against some variants of the H3N2 strain of the flu, it is still recommended to get vaccinated, according to the Los Angeles Times. According to the newspaper, different strains of the flu can also become more widespread later in the flu season.

CDC statistics have shown an early elevation in flu activity across the country, with the virus traditionally peaking in the country in the months of January and February. Medical officer Michael Jhung from the CDC's influenza division told Bloomberg in December that "there are some suggestions right now that this season will be a severe season," which may result in more instances of severe illness and death.

As the Washington Post explained, the most recent CDC data has found that the influenza-related hospitalization for people 65 and older is now 38.2 per 100,000, compared with 28.4 per 100,000 this time last year.