The flu vaccine Canadians have been receiving may not offer any protection this flu season, a new report states.
A new Eurosurveillance study released on Jan. 29 suggested this year’s vaccine has been almost statistically useless based on interim estimates.
The interim vaccine effectiveness measured for this season ranged from minus eight per cent to 23% the report states, the lowest it has been in the last 10 years. Last year the rate was 74% for the dominant flu strain.
This year’s dominant strain, influenza ‘A’ H3N2, has mutated to a point where the vaccine doesn’t work effectively on many cases, said Chuck Ferguson, manager of corporate communications for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) .
Public health has reported 24 confirmed cases of influenza in the region since the beginning of the 2014-15 flu season, a number that is fairly normal, Ferguson said.
WDGPH officials maintain the vaccine is still the best defense against the flu.
“Yes, the flu shot was less than optimal this year, and that was because of the drift in the strain … but we still recommend you get your flu shot. Some protection is better than none,” Ferguson said.
One of the findings in the Eurosurveillance study was that people who had received the vaccine two years in a row may not be as protected as those who had only received the shot this season.
However, when asked if this was the case locally, Ferguson said the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) is still studying the effectiveness of this year’s vaccine.
“I can’t speak to it in terms of scientific fact yet,” he said.
To take extra precautions, public health is advising anyone who feels ill to see their doctor to be tested for influenza and to stay home from work or school. For those out in the workplace and in public, the best defence against the flu is frequent hand washing.
