According to a new CDC report, the efficacy of this year’s flu vaccine in preventing hospitalization may be reduced to 34.5% in high-risk populations.
Concerns about the impending U.S. winter are raised by the findings, which are based on data from the flu season in South America.
The flu shot this year may be less successful in avoiding serious disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The effectiveness of the vaccine against hospitalization is only 34.5% for high-risk populations, such as small children, older individuals, and those with preexisting diseases, according to a new analysis based on flu data from South America’s winter season.
This is a considerable decrease from the 51.9% efficacy rate from the previous year.
The report, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, analyzed data from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. H3N2 flu virus is primarily blamed for this because it seems to be much more prevalent this year.
Meanwhile, instances of H1N1 strains, which the vaccine had traditionally been far more effective against, seemed to be fewer in number.
The CDC says that though the flu shot is less effective than it used to be, it is still of paramount importance in reducing the risk of serious illness and hospitalization for a patient.
According to CDC spokesman David Daigle, “getting the flu shot can offer significant protection against severe outcomes.”
With the North American flu season approaching this winter, health officials often use data from the Southern Hemisphere to predict how flu seasons would have played out in the Northern Hemisphere.
