Flu shot ‘more than good enough,’ says expert
This year’s flu vaccine appears to be more effective than originally predicted, according to preliminary new research.
Experts quoted in a Jan. 7 NBC News article, including Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Bill Hanage, said that the finding about the vaccine’s effectiveness—released in a Jan. 6 preprint by the Penn Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response—is good news during a particularly harsh flu season.
This year’s flu shot protects against three strains. After one of those strains, H3N2, changed slightly after vaccine production began, experts worried the shot wouldn’t prompt a strong enough antibody response. The new evidence shows, however, that even though the vaccine isn’t a complete match with H3N2, it still seems to offer decent protection. For the study, researchers looked at blood samples from 76 adults, both just before and about a month after receiving a flu shot. They found that, after the vaccine, the percentage of people with antibodies against H3N2 jumped from 39% to 71%.
Hanage, a professor of epidemiology who was not involved in the new research, noted that the finding provides “more evidence that the current vaccine might not be perfect, but it’s still more than good enough to provide protection, especially when it comes to stopping serious illness.”
Read the NBC News article: How effective is the flu shot this year? New report shows promising results
