This Year’s Flu Shot Doesn’t Match What’s Circulating.
Yeah, just what pop at 95 needs to hear.
There’s more bad news about the flu: The main strain of flu that’s circulating right now doesn’t exactly match what’s in this year’s flu shot, according to a new report.
However, the strain in the vaccine may still be close enough to offer some protection, officials said.
The news comes amid a particularly severe flu season in the U.S.; the season started early, and it’s unclear if flu activity has peaked yet.
At the start of the season, officials noticed something very unusual: The main strain of flu virus circulating was a type called influenza B. Typically, influenza B does not cause as many cases as influenza A strains (H1N1 and H3N2) and tends to show up later in the flu season, not at the beginning. Indeed, the last time influenza B dominated flu activity in the U.S. was during the 1992-1993 flu season, according to the new report.