Skip to content

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Faulty flu shots? This year's flu vaccine is not as strong as in previous years.

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes
43 states now have 'widespread' flu activity, as reports show this year's vaccine only 33 percent effective.

This year's flu season continues to weigh down heavily on the United States; 43 states are experiencing "widespread" flu activity and six others are reported to have "regional" flu activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Highlights

By Abigail James (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
1/6/2015 (9 years ago)

Published in Health

Keywords: flu, influenza, vaccine, shot, United States, H1N1, H3N2

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - California sat in the "sporadic" category just one week ago. Now, California, Alaska, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada and Maine all fall in the "regional" flu activity category, according to the CDC.

601 people in the U.S. died from influenza or pneumonia during the last week of the year; this is down from the 837 people who died at the hands of the flu the week prior.

Save a life today: Give medicine

The 601 deaths pushed the flu into accounting for 6.8 percent of the total deaths during that week. You only need 6.9 percent for the virus to qualify as an epidemic.

Hospitalization rates rose from 9.7 per 100,000 Americans to 12.6 per 100,000. Senior citizens and children under 5 continues to have the highest hospitalization rate.

Previous years had been focused on the H1N1 strain of influenza; this year H3N2 is the main culprit, accounting for 99.6 percent of the subtyped influenza viruses during that last week of the year.

"When H3N2 strains are more common than H1N1 strains, the flu usually causes more severe illnesses and deaths," explained Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, in LA Times.

"This year's flu vaccine isn't as effective as in years past because the virus mutated after the shot was developed and manufactured," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "As a result, it's only 33 percent effective at preventing the flu. Still, it's wise to get the flu vaccine anyway because it offers more protection than not getting the shot at all."

Get your chance for better health here during health month!

According to the CDC, about two-thirds of the H3N2 viruses analyzed were similar to the A/Switzerland/9715293 strain. By the time it was detected, the CDC already picked up a different type of H3N2 to be the main target of the flu vaccine.

It is important to note that drug resistance was tested and the flu viruses tested were susceptible to the drugs, according to the CDC. Rare cases of drug resistance for H1N1 and H3N2 have, however, been reported elsewhere in the world.

---


'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'


Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Lent logo
Saint of the Day logo
Light Your Free Payer Candle for a departed loved one

What is Palm Sunday?

Live on March 20, 2024 @ 10am PDT

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.