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“This year’s flu vaccine may not fully protect against the virus because the season’s most common strain has mutated, or ‘drifted,' from the form the shot targets,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is still recommending vaccination for most Americans because the shot will offer some protection. Vaccinated patients who become infected with the drifted strain of the virus will likely experience less-severe symptoms, said Tom Frieden, director of the CDC.”
Said Dr. Frieden: “Getting a vaccine that provides at least partial protection may be more important than ever.”
“More than half the flu samples analyzed from this year’s dominant strain, influenza A H3N2, are slightly different genetically from the version of H3N2 included in the current vaccine, CDC officials said. It is too late to change the vaccine because it takes months to produce. The CDC is also urging doctors to quickly prescribe antiviral medications to patients with flu symptoms, without waiting for a test to confirm influenza.”
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