Quote:
Originally Posted by graciegirl
The immunization does work for most people. There are tests that can be performed to check the body's response. Titer.
I am sure that those are done in controlled studies before the vaccine is released.
Antibody titer: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia |
If some take the time to research the efficacy of the flu shot, I think you will achieve total consciousness:
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A new government report on the effectiveness of this year's flu vaccine finds dramatic discrepancies in the amount of protection Americans received, with senior citizens being left the most vulnerable.
The 2012-2013 influenza vaccine contained two influenza A strains and one influenza B strain. The A strains included an H1N1 (swine flu) strain similar to the one that caused a 2009 pandemic and a new H3N2 strain, that officials later discovered to be behind much of the serious illness reported this year. The vaccine also contained a 2010 influenza B strain.
The new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the vaccine offered 58 percent protection against the most common and dangerous H3N2 strain for children ages 6 months to 17 years old, 46 percent protection for adults ages 18 to 49, and 50 percent protection for adults 60 to 64 years of age.
However, for seniors 65 and older, this year's flu shot was found to be only 9 percent effective against the more virulent H3N2 strain, the report showed.
Overall, the flu vaccine was found to be
56 percent effective at reducing the need for medical visits caused by the illness. That's around the initial 62 percent effectiveness figure the CDC reported in January based on early test results collected from 1,155 children and adults who went to doctors with respiratory infections.
In recent years, the vaccine has been about 60 to 70 percent effective at preventing flu.
For adults 65 and older, the vaccine was found to be 27 percent effective against the three strains, according to the new report -- the lowest in about a decade, but not far below from what's expected.
But the vaccine did a particularly poor job of protecting older people against the harshest flu strain, and CDC officials say it's not clear why.
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CDC: Flu vaccine only provided 9 percent protection for seniors against worst strain - CBS News