Flu Shot Update: Were You Protected

Who can you trust? If you were one of the thousands that got the flu vaccine last winter and still got the flu, you would be asking yourself that very question. Influenza (flu) is a very serious illness that can be contracted by people of any age. Every year the flu causes hospitalization of more than 200,000 people in the U.S. and is fatal in about 36,000 cases, (general among those 65 years or older).

A new survey by Harris Interactive confirmed findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the current vaccines for influenza were only 44 percent effective against this year's strains of virus. The Harris Poll showed that, for the past flu season, people who received the vaccine were almost as likely to have the flu as those who didn't. Therefore, people who were vaccinated, and still suffered the ugly effects of the flu, are very likely to distrust the vaccine's efficiency in the upcoming season. Actually the proof is in the pudding. In the last 3 years, people receiving the vaccine were 33, 43, and 24 percent less likely to get the flu than people who did not.

The ineffectiveness of the vaccine may be overstated because it is difficult for patients and health care providers to make accurate diagnosis of the flu, as its symptoms are often similar to other conditions. Also, comparison of flu incidence of people who did or did not receive the shots is not a solid measure of effectiveness because those who got the flu may have been more prone to get vaccinated.

It appears that two of the three strains of flu virus, for which the vaccines should have worked against, were not good matches, and yet the five companies manufacturing flu vaccines plan to make record numbers of doses for next years flu season.

The Associated Press reports that CSL Biotherapies will triple its production to 6 million doses from 2 million; Sanofi Pasteur Inc. is planning to make 50 million; Novartis Vaccines, 40 million; GlaxoSmithKline PLC, 35 million to 38 million; and MedImmune Vaccines, about 12 million doses. That's about 143 million doses for the 2008-2009 seasons, equaling close to 3 million more doses than the season that just ended.

Health experts will discuss the 2008-2009 flu season this month in Atlanta at a national influenza vaccine summit hosted by the CDC and the American Medical Association.