New numbers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that the 2018-2019 flu vaccine registered the lowest vaccine effective rate since 2015. While flu effectiveness measured 47% in February 2019, the shot was less able to prevent cases of H3N2 that appeared later in the season, with vaccine effectiveness of 9%. The CDC has announced that the effectiveness of this season has been 29%, significantly less than the 40 percent or more recorded for the last three years.
The 2018-2019 Flu Season
Much like fire season, flu season now lasts longer than ever. Flu activity levels increased beginning in November and returned to normal levels in mid-April, making 2018-2019 the longest flu season in 10 years. This is a significant development that could have lasting implications for the flu shot. Healthcare practitioners are advised to vaccinate their patients by the end of October with many offices or locations giving the shot as early as September. The flu vaccine lasts from four to six months before it no longer provides protection. In fact, a 2018 study from researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California found that the risk of getting the flu rose by 16 percent after twenty-eight days of being vaccinated. As of right now, flu revaccination later in the season isn’t recommended.
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Over the last decade and a half, the flu vaccine has never been more than 60 percent effective. If a longer flu season becomes the norm, that effectiveness will likely decrease even further as immunity from the vaccine won’t last the whole season. The flu shot also comes with side effects ranging from headaches, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and fatigue to serious side effects like brain inflammation, convulsions, Bell’s palsy, paralysis of limbs, neuropathy, shock, asthma, wheezing, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and other respiratory issues.
Sources:
- Latest flu vaccine failing against current strain, CDC reports – ABC News
- Poor Late-Season Protection Limited Flu Vaccine Impact for 2018-19 – CIDRAP
- CDC: 2018-2019 Flu Season the Longest in a Decade – Pharmacy Times
- Update: Influenza Activity in the United States During the 2018–19 Season and Composition of the 2019–20 Influenza Vaccine – CDC.gov
- Immunize – Immunization Action Coalition
- Study: Flu vaccine protection starts to wane within weeks – CIDRAP
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