Pounce Online

Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: Arts and Entertainment

A bottle of influenza vaccine sets on a countertop at a doctor's office. The flu virus claims around 36,000 lives each year and the vaccine is available free of charge at Health Services. (Noah Gent/ Pounce Online)

According to a recent report by ABC News, "The flu shots given across the country are, for many, proving to be a bust -- only effective against about 40 percent of the flu strains now in the United States."

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) admitted that this year's flu vaccinations do not match all the types of flu being circulated this year, which much reduces their effectiveness and usefulness, but says the flu shot is "still worth having because they lessen the severity of the illness and protect against serious complications."

With all this bad press recently, you may wonder if that flu shot you got last fall was really worth it, or you may be wondering if you'll even bother with it next year. Before you swear off flu shots forever, take a look at what exactly goes into creating a flu shot.

Every year, information is gathered from around the world on what flu strains are infecting people and how the strains are mutating. This data is then studied by the World Health Organization and the CDC and that information is then provided to countries around the world.

In the United States the Food and Drug Administration makes the final decision on what flu strains will be included in the vaccine based on the information provided. As you can see, a lot of guesswork is involved in making that decision, which can lead to years like this one, with a very low success rate. Some years, according to the CDC, can see success rates around 70%-90% with a well-matched vaccine.

Everyone remembers the 2004-05 flu season when vaccine shortages caused a sort of a widespread panic. One of the major suppliers of the flu vaccine had their license lifted, and the United States lost 48 million vaccines, causing the CDC to encourage people to let those who were at higher risk get the flu shot and forgo the shot themselves until the next year. Which most people did, and almost everyone seemed to be okay, with or without the flu shot.

The flu shot will not prevent the flu. Plain and simple, even the CDC admits it's not going to make you immune to the flu, that would be impossible since the flu strains are constantly changing and adapting.

Continued...

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