Researchers chase a much better fix for the seasonal flu

Megan Thompson:

Shannon turned into certainly one of 148 children in the US killed that season by the flu. The number of little ones who die ranges generally from 37 in 2011 to a excessive of 288 during the Swine Flu outbreak in 2009. The flu and issues from it kill yet another 12-to-56 thousand american citizens each year — in most cases those 65 and older. Between 9 and 60 million american citizens get the flu every year costing 10 billion dollars in medical professional visits, hospitalizations, and medication.

The centers for ailment control and Prevention recommends that everyone older than 6 months get the annual flu shot. Shannon Zwanziger chose now not to 2014, but the vaccine changed into only 19 percent beneficial that yr, so it could not have mattered anyway. And that's the huge problem with flu vaccines, says doctor Anthony Fauci, head of the Infectious disorder division of the national Institutes of health.