According to CDC flu surveillance systems, flu season has started in many parts of the USA with continued flu activity expected over the coming weeks, with most flu detected to date as H3N2 flu found in children and young adults.
A new CDC study has shown that flu vaccination can protect children against serious flu illness even when they had been infected with a flu virus that was antigenically different from the vaccine virus.
The CDC study reports that “flu vaccination reduced the risk of severe flu in children by 78% against similar flu A viruses and 47% against flu A viruses that had drifted from the vaccine virus. Further, the vaccine was 76% effective at preventing life-threatening influenza, which included invasive mechanical ventilation, CPR, and other severe complications including death”. In addition to this, the study highlighted that some people who are vaccinated still get sick, but the vaccination can decrease illness severity.
To read the article in full, please click on the link below:
CDC Study Shows Flu Vaccination Prevents Severe Flu Illness in U.S. Children