This
year’s flu season was been projected to be one of the worst in decades due
to the early activity of influenza B, a strain of the virus that’s typically
more prevalent at the end of the season. Children are particularly susceptible
to it. So far this season, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
has tallied 39 child deaths -- 28
of which are linked to the
influenza B virus. Overall, the CDC estimates that since
the season began on September 29, there have been at least 13 million cases of
the flu, 120,000 hospitalizations and 6,600 deaths.
Contributing to the season’s severity is a mismatch in this year’s flu shot. "It's
not an awful match, but it's not a very good match,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci,
director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
According to the CDC, the vaccine is a 58% match for influenza B. That means if
your child is exposed to it and they’ve had the flu shot this season, there's a
58% chance that their flu shot will protect against it. But, that means there's
a 42% chance the vaccine won't match and it won’t prevent them from getting
the flu.
That doesn’t mean the flu shot won’t help. It can still help protect your
kids from getting so sick that they develop life-threatening
complications. And it’s also a very good match for another strain -- H1N1 -- a
strain of the flu virus that is active right now.
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