“Are flu shots really effective?”
I had a flu shot in the beginning of the season, but I was diagnosed with the flu just recently. While it was a milder version, I feel like it didn't protect me at all from the flu. Are these shots really effective?
2 Answers
It depends. They are extremely effective if the flu virus which is causing flu matches the virus. There are so many different strains of the flu and mutations that sometimes the vaccine misses the mark. In those cases the shot doesn’t help. The vaccine is made differently each year to include the most common flu viruses over the last several years. If a new strain emerges then the vaccine is not effective.
Flu shots may NOT actually prevent the Flu--but frequently REDUCE the severity of Flu if you get it--and also probably reduce the DEATH RATE from the Flu
