Flu shot did poor job against worst bug in seniors ATLANTA This
year’s flu shot is doing a startlingly dismal job of protecting
senior citizens from the harshest strain this season, proving
only 9 percent effective, the government said Thursday. Health
officials don’t know why this is so, but it helps explain why so
many older people have been hospitalized with the flu this year.
Flu vaccine tends to protect younger people better than older
ones and never works as well as other kinds of vaccines. But
experts say the preliminary results for seniors are
disappointing and highlight the urgent need for a better
vaccine. Overall, the vaccine’s effectiveness is a moderate 56
percent, which means those who got a shot have a 56 percent
lower chance of winding up at the doctor with the flu. That is
nearly as good as other flu seasons, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention said Thursday. For those 65 and older, it
offers far less protection. It is 27 percent effective against
the three strains in the vaccine,