Last Flu Season Was Deadliest In Decades. This Might Be One Reason Why
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Last Flu Season Was Deadliest in Decades. This Might Be One Reason Why
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By Evann Gastaldo , Newser Staff
Posted Oct 25, 2018 4:00 PM CDT
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(NEWSER) – Last winter's flu season was the deadliest since the 1970s—79,000 people died—and a report released by the CDC Thursday might explain why. Per the report, just 37.1% of adults were vaccinated last season—the lowest rate since the 2010-11 season, and a drop of 6.2% from the season prior. "That’s huge. It’s a striking inflection down from the previous year," one infectious disease expert tells the Washington Post . Experts say the low level of vaccinations likely contributed to the particularly deadly year, though there were other factors as well, including a particularly harsh strain of the virus: H3N2 was dominant, and that strain typically results in the most complications and is also harder for the vaccine to fight. Experts are hoping more people will get vaccinated this year, with a CDC chief pointing out now "is the perfect time" to do so before flu season kicks into high gear. (For the first time in two decades, a new flu drug .)
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In this Jan. 12, 2018, file photo, a medical assistant at a community health center gives a patient a flu shot in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
I got mine a week or so ago. The flu sucks way more than a sore spot at site of injection.
And some injections can actually feel good.
Well, I don't know about your last sentence, but I got mine 2 weeks ago or thereabouts. They gave them out early where I work this year.
I got the flu a few years ago even tho I got the vaccine. It sucked and everybody at work treated me like I had the Bubonic Plague when I returned
At age 70 I've never had a flu shot and never will. I also haven't had the flu in over 50 years. Proper diet including probiotics, staying away from large groups and high population centers, and prayer is a recipe for good health
I want all the protection I can get
I consider flu vaccines to be dangerous to your health
hope you don't catch it and continue to have good health
avoiding groups of people is not an option for me, even in a rural area.
Medical research shows the flu vaccine to be quite safe (unless you're allergic to eggs) and beneficial in preventing the flu.
As I said, I've not had the flu in over 50 years and most of my friends also refuse to get flu shots.
Good for you.
That's their choice. But that doesn't mean the flu vaccine is dangerous. Certain people such as children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to the flu and need vaccinations.
Well I'm 70 and some of my friends are in their 70s and 80s and still don't get flu shots or the flu
As I said, good for you and that's your and their choice. As I also said, that does not mean the flu vaccine is dangerous. So I'm not sure where you get that idea from. It's also true that certain populations are more vulnerable to the flu and should get flu shots. That's not saying they will get the flu if they don't have vaccinations.