Flu season is in full swing. With flu-related cases continue to rise, health officials have to contend the apprehension that the flu vaccine is less effective as a form of protection against the illness.
This year's flu virus is prevalent in at least 43 states. Idaho, Missouri, and Illinois are reeling from the virus and some parts of the south and east coast.
So far, Idaho reported 47 flu-related deaths, considered the most severe since 2000.
With the uptick of flu cases, the question on the effectiveness of the flu shots people are getting is also rising.
Effective Less Than Half The Time
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the flu vaccine is 48 percent effective against the most common strain of influenza.
It is even lesser, only 21 percent, effective for people aged 18 to 49.
There is a brighter side though: The vaccine is 73 percent efficient to combat B strain. Unfortunately, this is not the kind of strain in this flu season.
Identified as most vulnerable to the illness are children under age 5, pregnant women, and the elderly.
Annualy, around 200,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized while some 36,000 died due to the illness.
Tweaked Every Year Against The Most Common Virus
The 2017 most common strain is Influenza AH3, considered more serious than the normal strain.
Health officials claim this year's vaccine is up to the challenge of AH3. The vaccine's formulation has been adjusted and enhanced in anticipation to the most common strain every year.
The current vaccine is tweaked to include protection against H3N2, but the prolificacy of this kind of virus to evolve in too short a time makes it difficult for drug makers to pin it down. About 600 variations of this year's virus have been identified by scientists.
The problem is not with the vaccine. It is with the number of people who get vaccinated. CDC said less than half of the Americans got the shot.
It Is Not Perfect But It Is Still Better To Get Vaccinated
The flu season is far from over.
Dr. Leslie Tengelsen, Idaho's state flu surveillance coordinator, urged the people to get the shot to get the protection they need from the illness.
Far from being perfect but 48 percent is "actually pretty good," pediatric infectious diseases expert Peter Wenger at St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick said.
Despite its less than half efficiency, the vaccine could help weaken the virus resulting to milder cases of influenza.
For those who waited for the perfect flu shot before they get vaccinated, here is a piece of advice: Don't leave your house .
