Flu vaccine barely worked in people 65 and older [View all]

[Mason Kennedy]

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2013/02/

This season's flu vaccine was almost completely ineffective in people 65 and older, which could explain why rates of hospitalization and death have been some of the highest ever recorded for that age group, according to early estimates released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For people under 65, getting vaccinated this season reduced the need to go to the doctor for the flu by one-half to two-thirds.

For those 65 and older, though, it helped in just 9% of cases, a number too low to be statistically significant, according to a report in the CDC's Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report released Thursday. The study was based on a survey of 2,697 children and adults by the U.S. Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network from Dec. 3, 2012, through Jan. 19, 2013.

While this year's flu season has been moderately severe for the general population, "in people over 65 we're seeing a pretty severe year," said Joe Bresee, chief of the epidemiology and prevention branch in the CDC's influenza division.

Read more: USA Today