This year's flu vaccine was a flop
Data from GP practices show it conferred minimal protection, especially for over-65s
1st November 2017
This year’s quadrivalent flu vaccine was ineffective in the elderly and conferred minimal protection for most people against the main circulating A strain, data from GP practices show.
Flu vaccine effectiveness was 33% overall, but only 10% for the A (H3N2) virus that predominated this season, according to interim estimates released by the Melbourne-based WHO Collaborating Centre for Influenza.
For over-65s, flu vaccine effectiveness was -3% for all strains and -20% for the A (H3N2) strain, according to estimates based on 5678 influenza-like illness cases reported by 350 GPs