The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claimed on Friday that this year’s flu shot is less than 50% effective. The estimated effectiveness of the flu vaccine is estimated at 47% by the agency.
The CDC claims that a person’s age is a driving factor in lower success rates. The agency says that people age 17 or under benefit from the flu shot 61% of the time, while those over age 50 benefit only 24% of the time.
Seeing that the flu is considered more dangerous to those over age 50, the low success rate is prompting concerns of a repeated year of flu shot disaster.
CNN reported the story, but was quick to turn the article into a flu shot benefits piece.
“The vaccine is not perfect,” Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the nonprofit National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, said. “But give the vaccine credit for softening the blow.”
Flu shot hysteria, which many feels is a result of tireless media coverage, has many people questioning whether the vaccine is effective at all. The CDC did not say how it determined the current effectiveness numbers.
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