PROVIDENCE — This year’s flu vaccine is 25 percent effective for all ages and more than 59 percent effective for children up to eight-years-old against the H3N2 flu virus, the most common strain this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also the most common among the positively identified type A flu strains in Rhode Island.
Both the DOH and the CDC advise getting vaccinated against the flu regardless of the vaccine’s reported effectiveness, since some protection is better than none, and vaccinations that don’t prevent the flu often reduce the severity of complications from the illness, which can cause hospitalizations and deaths.
South County Art Association Enhances Its Space and Saves Energy
Energy efficiency improvements can help small businesses and nonprofit organizations reduce energy use while enhancing…
Learn More
According to a report released by the CDC Thursday, vaccination reduced illness caused by the predominant influenza A(H3N2) viruses by 25 percent among patients of all ages, and among vaccinated children 6 months through 8 years of age by more than 59 percent. Most (69%) influenza infections nationwide were caused by A(H3N2) viruses, the CDC reported.
Rhode Island’s Department of Health reports 26 flu-related deaths so far this year, with a total of 3,455 influenza-like-illnesses in their latest update this week.
Of those cases, 2,565, or 74 percent, were attributed to an undetermined variant of the A strain flu virus, according to DOH.
“Many of the cases are not subtyped because the hospitals do rapid tests. These tests differentiate flu A from flu B, but they do not subtype the cases,” said Joseph Wendelken, public information officer at RIDOH.
The department has positively identified 454 cases attributed to one of the two A strains.
The DOH identified 58 cases caused by A(H1N1), 13 percent of the identified A strain cases. Vaccine effectiveness against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses is 67 percent, the CDC reports.
The DOH identified 396 cases caused by the A(H3N2) strain, 87 percent of the identified A strain cases. Vaccination against this strain was 25 percent effective among all ages, and 59 percent among children 6 months through 8 years old, the CDC reports.
“Effectiveness against influenza A(H3N2) viruses is typically lower than against influenza A(H1N1) and influenza B viruses and CDC is actively investigating possible reasons,” the CDC noted in its report.
The DOH attributed 396, or 11.5 percent, of the cases to a B-strain of the virus. This year’s vaccine effectiveness against influenza B viruses was 42 percent.
Rob Borkowksi is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.
