Flu Vaccine Only Effective for 9% of Seniors This Year

This year's flu vaccine was woefully ineffective for seniors, according to new figures released by the CDC.

A survey of nearly 2,700 adults and children revealed that the vaccine was effective for only 9 percent of recipients age 65 and older. According to the CDC, this means it protected a "statistically insignificant" number of seniors from needing outpatient medical attention for the flu. This could be because seniors did not respond to the vaccine's Influenza A (H3N2) component.

This year's flu-related death rate for seniors reached extremely high levels. Traditionally, seniors are more severely affected by the flu and often less responsive to the vaccine than younger people. However, the CDC cautions that this should not be seen as a reason to discredit the need for the vaccine.

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