Deadly Flu Season: Vaccine only 36 percent effective during worst season in years

CDC still insists on being vaccinated

As the deadly flu season remains far from over, controversy over whether to get the vaccine or not lingers on everyone's minds.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The current season is the first one if 15 seasons where the entire continental Unites States reported widespread flu activity during the same period.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported this year's vaccine is only 36 percent effective in adults with the A and B strains, and it is only 59 percent effective in children from six months to eight-years-old. These numbers are actually higher than the CDC expected. 
These two factors have led to one of the worst flu seasons in years with an anticipated 50,000 deaths in America. 

According to the CDC, since October, more than 12,000 people have been hospitalized with the flu and 63 children have suffered death. However, Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams insisted to CNN obtaining the flu vaccine is still the way to go. 

"The flu vaccination is safe," he said. "It is still your best defense."

The Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar explained that though the current vaccination isn't as effective as desired, it will still help those who receive it. Anyone who has received the vaccine but still gets the flu will experience a less severe round of symptoms and a shorter strain of the flu. 

"Getting the flu shot is the same kind of sensible precaution as buckling your seatbelt. If you got the flu shot but you end up catching the flu, it could be less severe and less likely to land you in the hospital," stated Azar.

About 75 percent of this seasons pediatric flu-related deaths' patients had not received the flu vaccination.

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