Infuenza Vaccine 2016-2017

After my vaccination post I have had a few questions about the flu vaccine. Bottom line is that we should be getting the vaccine. In fact, in the CDC weekly report, we find that activity is very high this year, but mainly with virus strain present in this years vaccine. Five children and adolescents died from the flu in the last week recorded, bringing the total number for the 2016–17 flu season up to 20. The proportion of pediatric deaths due to pneumonia and influenza (7.9%) reached an epidemic threshold in late January.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

Studies have shown that flu vaccine helps prevent deaths and serious complications; in fact it may even prevent non-influenza upper respiratory infections. The two most recent studies reveal that seasonal influenza epidemics in the United States are responsible for between 55,000 and 431,000 hospitalizations due to pneumonia and influenza each year and as many as 49,000 deaths.

Zhou H, Thompson WW, Viboud CG, et al. Hospitalizations associated with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus in the United States, 1993-2008. Clin Infect Dis 2012;54:1427-1436

Reed C, Chaves SS, Daily Kirley P, et al. Estimating influenza disease burden from population-based surveillance data in the United States. PLoS One 2015;10:e0118369-e0118369

In many articles the vaccine has been shown to radically decrease the rates of infection - 59% in children, seniors and pregnant women (high risk for complications); as well as in all adults.

N Engl J Med 2013; 369:2481-2491
N Engl J Med 2014; 371:635-645
N Engl J Med 2014; 371:918-931

The main side effect has been pain at injection site. There is no association between the shot and getting sick. There is a very slight increased risk of Guillan Barre syndrome; but this is far less than the risk with influenza itself.

The vaccine is prepared 6 months in advance, and scientits try to assess what strains will be in this year's infections. In some years they have missed, with the efficacy as low as 25%. That still has some effect. This year they seem to have hit the correct ratio.