A flu shot might not keep you from getting sick, government doctors admitted today.
This year’s vaccine is effective in about 62 percent of cases, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
And this year’s vaccine appears least effective in the elderly or people with other health problems — the very folks who need flu shots the most.
Getting a flu shot is still a good idea, said CDC director Thomas Frieden.
“The flu vaccine is far from perfect. But it is still by far the best tool we have to prevent the flu,” Frieden, a former New York City health commissioner, told reporters.
Scientists haven’t figured out how to make a vaccine that protects against more than three strains of the flu.
So before flu season begins, vaccine makers have to figure out which three will be most prevalent, and formulate the vaccine accordingly, doctors explained.
Vaccine makers appear to have made the right choices this year, Frieden said. But there are other strains of the flu out there not covered by the vaccine.
Drug makers are working on vaccines that can protect against four or more strains.
It’s possible tens of thousands of people will die from the flu this year — but final estimates on the death toll won’t be available for months, the CDC says.
So far this flu season, the government has counted 20 flu-related deaths among children under age 18. The CDC says it closely tracks pediatric flu deaths.
In New York, about 5 percent of emergency room visits are flu-related, city health officials report. That’s up from 2 percent during last year’s flu season.