The reason just 20 to 30 percent of people were protected by the 2016-2017 flu shot was a mutation in the H3N2 strain of the virus, which did not show up in the mass-produced vaccine that is grown using eggs, said the report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Flu vaccines work by delivering purified proteins from the outer layer of dead flu viruses, which primes the immune system to fight off a new invasion.
But if a virus mutates, and the vaccine doesn't change to match it, effectiveness is lost, said lead author Scott Hensley, associate professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania.
"The 2017 vaccine that people are getting now has the same H3N2 strain as the 2016 vaccine, so this could be another difficult year if this season is dominated by H3N2 viruses again."
More here
I never get the flu but back in day when i had to get a flu shot guess what i got the flu havent had flu ever since
ReplyDeleteWhy bother to get it then?
ReplyDeleteIt is not supposed to work. It is all about $$ for big pharma. Plain and simple. If you do the research you will see that this is the same story year after year after year. And their last line is.... well even though it didn't work, make sure you fork over your $$ and get it this year!
ReplyDeleteScientists are very close to a 'universal' flu vaccine.
ReplyDelete20% is better than zero!
ReplyDeleteVery few people actually pay for a flu shot. Most all insurances pay. And many free clinics are available. I get a Flu shot every year. I may have paid $10.00 back around 2005. I've always found a way to get it free. And it works for me. I would not go without even if i did have to pay. Especially us senior citizens.
ReplyDeleteI balked at getting a Shingles vaccine as advised by my doctor. And sure enough, I got Shingles. Listen to your doctor. Get the shot.
I have NEVER gotten a flu shot and do not intend to do so, ever. There is no magic vaccine. They take a guess of which strain will be prominent and use a vaccine for that particular one. If their guess is wrong, and another strain becomes widespread, that vaccine will not help you.
ReplyDeleteYou will get sick on whichever strain is out there and you did not get a shot for it.
They are still practicing their medical practice.
I'll take my chances. No flu shots for me ever since the US Army used me for a guinea pig back in 1973. "Ordered" our unit to march to the infirmary to receive a live Pig Flu vaccine (one of the first of it's kind). Never been sicker in my life. It's a wonder it didn't kill me, like it did to many seniors and children, that year. Even though I was threatened with an Article 15 the next year when I refused to allow them to inject me again, I stood my ground and was the only one in my unit that didn't receive the vaccine in 1974. And, needless to say, I didn't get the flu in 1974. Flu vaccines are not to be trusted. Avoid sick people, practice good hygiene, and avoid touching your face without washing your hands first. And if you can't remember to do that, let your immune system do it's job.
ReplyDelete1:14.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously know very little about viruses. Maybe nothing.
We will NEVER get a "universal" flu vaccine.
It is IMPOSSIBLE.