Well, this explains a lot: The Center for Disease Control and Protection says this year's flu shot is only good for 40% of the flu bugs going around. Thanks a lot, new strains of flu viruses that are kicking people's butts!
Every year, health departments around the country recommend people get flu shots, starting in the fall and continuing to remind people who haven't for many months. Usually, the flu vaccine tends to be good against 70-90% of the flu types out there. But not this year. From the AP:
Each winter, experts try to predict which strains of flu will circulate so they can develop an appropriate vaccine for the following season. They choose three strains_ two from the Type A family of influenza, and one from Type B.
Usually, the guesswork is pretty good: The vaccines have been a good match in 16 of the last 19 flu seasons, Bresee has said.
But the vaccine's Type B component turned out not to be a good match for the B virus that has been most common this winter. And one of the Type A components turned out to be poorly suited for the Type A H3N2/Brisbane-like strain that now accounts for the largest portion of lab-confirmed cases.
Hospitals are busier than ever with people sick from the flu. A medical officer from the Health Department's Bureau of Communicable Diseases, Dr. Scott Harper, told the Staten Island Advance, flu-related visits to ERs around the city are up 38%. Staten Island University's Dr. Theodore Strange explains that flu vaccines are "never 100 percent preventative. Even people who get a flu shot might get a low-grade case of the flu virus, but if you're going to get [the flu], it's better to get it at a lower grade."
February is the peak month for the flu season, which can last until June. Here are some good health habits for preventing the flu, like covering your cough and washing your hands.
Photograph of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz getting a flu shot last October
