CDC says flu shot was only 12% effective for adults

As influenza continues to run rampant this winter, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledged last week that this season’s flu shot has been a disappointment, according to The Hill. The shot has been only 12% effective for adults aged 18 to 49 and 14% effective for those 50 and older, according to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The CDC said the shot offered less protection because 70% of circulating flu viruses are different or have drifted from the one used to create the vaccine. The CDC recommended last week that physicians prepare to use additional antiviral medications to treat hospitalized patients and outpatients at high risk for serious complications. Children aged 17 and younger saw the greatest benefit from the flu shot, which was 26% effective for that group, The Hill reports.

Read the article in The Hill here.