Flu Shot Is 62% Effective

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Flu Shot is 62% Effective. Pic Courtesy: personal.psu.edu

Have you taken the flu shot? Good. It would help to know though, that the shot does not offer 100 % protection.

As per TIME, the flu shot is only 62% effective; this figure is based on the data observed from flu sufferers currently flooding the U.S.

So what does 62% effectiveness mean? It means that those who have taken the flu shots are 62% less likely to require seeing a doctor for their illness compared to those who have not taken the shot at all.

But is not the figure 62% less? Childhood vaccines are known to have an effectiveness range of 90%.

Dr. Thomas Frieden director Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said,

62% is ‘in line with what we expect’ with influenza shots, which have to be reformulated every year from best guesses about which virus strains are likely to be circulating during the winter. The pick of the strains [in the current vaccine] is as good as it could have been this year. 62% percent is far less than we wish it would be, but it’s [that] the glass is 62% full, or we have a 62% reduction in the number of people who would be going to the doctor if they hadn’t been vaccinated. So it’s certainly well worth the effort.

Protect yourself in any case; take the flu shot, as early as possible. After all there is no better way to protect oneself, than by taking the vaccination.

Frieden in agreement says,

Vaccination, is still the best protection against influenza, especially since cases will continue to climb, as the wave of illness moves from the south and southeastern parts of the country, where it typically begins each season, westward.

The golden rule at this delicate flu season time is, stay indoors if you are sick; cover your sneezes and coughs, discard the tissue being used in the wastepaper bin, and wash your hands as frequently as possible. Take the prescribed antiviral medication as directed by the doctor.

This year flu has peaked earlier than usual. So is this like a forewarning of still worse cases to come?

Frieden says,

The only thing predictable about the flu is that it’s unpredictable. Only time will tell us how long the season lasts, and how moderate or how severe the season will be in the end.