CDC devises a more effective flu vaccine — 5 notes

Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses the updated flu vaccine, according to The Washington Post.

Here are five notes:

1. Overall, the flu vaccine is 50 percent to 60 percent effective. Although the flu vaccine is not nearly as effective as other vaccines, it is more effective than other preventative measures for the flu.

2. The vaccine has been updated to better match the H3N2 strain. The CDC predicts the match of a vaccine through a global collaboration through working with countries in the southern hemisphere to see what strains are spreading here.

3. The CDC determined the four strains prevalent in the southern hemisphere and matched those strains in the flu vaccine this year.

4. The CDC studied strains in the United States in the summer months and tracked those strains, which may predict the flu for the fall.

5. Mr. Frieden said, "The bottom line is that the flu is unpredictable, but the single best thing you can do to protect yourself is get a flu vaccine."

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