Why Vaccination Is Still Important

Why Vaccination Is Still Important.
US constitution officials have habit-forming numbers to back up their warnings that this season's flu shots are less than perfect: A new study finds the vaccine reduces your chance of needing medical care because of flu by only 23 percent. Most years, flu vaccine effectiveness ranges from 10 percent to 60 percent, reported the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite the reduced effectiveness of this season's flu shot, "vaccination is still important," said cable set forth initiator Brendan Flannery, an epidemiologist with the CDC.

So "But there are ways of treating and preventing flu that are especially formidable this season". These encompass early treatment with antiviral drugs and preventing the spread of flu by washing hands and covering coughs. Twenty-three percent effectiveness means that there is some forward - a little less flu in the vaccinated group. Flu is on the whole more common among unvaccinated Americans "but this year there is a lot of influenza both in masses who are vaccinated and in people who are unvaccinated".

The findings are published in the Jan. 16 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. As of initially January, the middle of flu season, flu was widespread in 46 states, and 26 children had died from complications of the infection, CDC figures show. The vaccine's reduced effectiveness highlights the scarcity to deal with serious flu rapidly with antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu or Relenza, the CDC said. Ideally, treatment should start within 48 hours of symptoms appearing.