Flu (influenza) is a highly infectious disease that can spread from one person to another through saliva, blood, and feces. A vaccine known as the flu vaccine can prevent the contagious disease. One is advised to be vaccinated against the flu every year.
Centers for Disease Control and prevention, better known as CDC has helped to determine the effectiveness of the flu vaccine over time. CDC together with other groups (for instance universities and hospitals) takes part in studies and research to come up with the aforementioned results. Flu vaccines over the years between 2008 and 2018 has been quite effective regarding the number of patients vaccinated.
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Based on CDC’s results, thousands of patients have been vaccinated of flu unlike the previous years before the year 2008. However, between the years of study, the number of patients treated has not been rising as expected ( Grohskopf, et al 2018). This may be due to season flu vaccine was studied, the outcome measured, the design of the study, and the population studied. Between 2008 and 2010, six thousand plus patients were vaccinated. On the other hand, vaccination estimates for years between 2010 and 2012 were at four thousand plus patients.
By comparing the two periods, it is evident that the vaccine effectiveness did not rise as could be expected. ( Kaiser, 2006). The variances can be continually seen in the preceding periods of study. For instance, the periods 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 the estimates for vaccine efficacy were at 6452 and 5999 respectively (CDC, 2018). However, a more significant number of patients vaccinated (9311) were recorded by CDC during the 2014-2015 period. It is in this period that flu vaccine has been most effective as compared to other periods according to studies and researches conducted by CDC. Coming to the following years, results presented by the body mentioned above differs with a margin of around a thousand patients. What is interesting with these periods (i.e., 2015 to 2018) is that patients perceived to be vaccinated with flu vaccine have been increasing steadily.
In conclusion, it can be generally seen that the flu vaccine has been of great efficacy between the periods 2008-2018. This idea is according to the estimates presented by CDC in association with specific universities and hospitals on vaccine effectiveness. However, at some points between specified periods, results differed significantly because of reasons such as population studied, season, the design used and lastly outcome measured. Therefore, it is possible to say to that flu vaccine has been of efficacy over the periods 2008-2018 as compared to the periods before.
References
1. Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness, 2004-2018 | Seasonal Influenza (Flu) | CDC. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/effectiveness-studies.htm
2. Kaiser, J. (2006). A one-size-fits-all flu vaccine?.
3. Grohskopf, L. A., Sokolow, L. Z., Broder, K. R., Walter, E. B., Fry, A. M., & Jernigan, D. B. (2018). Prevention and control of seasonal influenza with vaccines: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—United States, 2018–19 influenza season. MMWR Recommendations and Reports , 67 (3), 1.
