RALEIGH, N.C. – As the Triangle suffers with the second busiest flu season in seven years, doctors say there are still things you can do to prevent catching the bug.   One of them is to get a flu shot.

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Despite confirmed reports that this year’s vaccine has only been about 40 percent effective in preventing the flu, infectious disease specialists say getting a flu shot can help minimize the severity of the virus. 

 

“I think it is true that there will be some secondary or additional benefits for people who were vaccinated, even if they get the flu,” said Deverick J. Anderson, MD, MPH., of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Duke University Medical Center.   “If there is some similarity, you’re probably going to get some help from it, even if there isn’t a complete match.”

 

The match Anderson references is the strain of flu included in this year’s vaccine mixture.   There are three components in each vaccine: two from the Type A strain of influenza and one from Type B.   The Type B strain that surfaced this year was not the one included in the vaccine, but Anderson says the similarity can offer benefit, especially for young children and the elderly, who are most susceptible to complications from the flu.

 

When asked about perennial concerns over the safety of vaccines for children, Anderson acknowledges the controversy, but says too much has been gained from vaccines to deny their value.

 

“I am a believer in vaccinations. They are an incredible step in improving infectious diseases,” Anderson said. “We hear both sides.   But as far as I know, there has not been a clear-cut connection between the use of vaccination in children and autism or long- term mental decline.”