This Year's Flu Vaccine Very Protective

The flu vaccine in use this year is an “excellent match” for the strain of influenza that has reached epidemic proportions in some states this winter, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention says.

And it is never too late to get a shot, the CDC says, according to Fox News.

The network reported that researchers are constantly looking for indications as to which strain of flu is likely to hit, staying in touch with their counterparts worldwide, and they change the vaccine accordingly.

“If we do see a new variant virus, we then look at the spread of that virus within China or other countries,” Dr. Nancy Cox, director of the CC’s Influenza Division said.

“If we see that pattern, we take that virus and test it against serum from people who have been vaccinated to see if they have antibodies against that new virus.

“There was a period of time where we only had one A and one B circulating,” Cox said of the changing strains. “Now we have two As and two Bs circulating around the globe…Within those groups, you can have a couple of sub-groups in a given year.”

The flu has killed 29 children this year in the United States. Figures for adult deaths are not released until the end of flue season.