Another example of misinterpretation of flu virus and vaccine match. The most common strain of the flu this season, H3N2, is not covered by the current vaccine is not accurate. There has been significant genetic drift, but the CDC notes (as of 12/27/14) that a third of the H3N2 matches the vaccine H3N2 component, and the other two-thirds show reduced titers with antiserum against [the vaccine H3N2 virus]. The tests used to determine whether vaccine strains match circulating strains are good, but are imperfect in predicting vaccine efficacy. Even when there is a mismatch, there is evidence that flu vaccines can provide cross-protection against mismatched, but related, strains of influenza. Please dont let the reports of vaccine virus mismatch keep you from getting vaccinated! This is an early flu season, and likely to be more severe than average because of the dominance of H3N2.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 18:46:01 +0000
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