Friday, February 22, 2013

U.S. Flu Vaccine Effective in only 9% of those 65 & Over

February 21, 2013
By Julie Steenhuysen
Excerpt:


Dr. Joseph Bresee, a flu expert at the CDC, said overall the vaccine worked "OK," but it is not fully clear why people over 65 responded poorly.
"Part of it is they are elderly and they respond less vigorously to vaccines. But it appears that some of the people, at least, developed a less robust response to this particular antigen," he said, referring to the H3N2 component of the flu vaccine.
"Why that is, I don't think we know yet. We're looking at it closely," he said.
-snip-

(Additional reporting by Bill Berkrot in New York; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Full article:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/21/us-usa-flu-vaccine-idUSBRE91K16D20130221

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