First, there was a huge outcry about a flu vaccine shortage. Restrictions on who could get flu shots meant that a lot of people who usually got one didn't. Then, because there weren't many flu shots given, those restrictions were relaxed. But a lot of people still didn't bother.
And the result of that? This is from the Phila. Inquirer, your area may be different (but I suspect not too different).
Last year, for instance, the number of influenza A cases - the viral type that the city specifically follows at the three hospitals - had topped 700 by Jan. 18. By comparison, the city had reported 64 influenza A cases as of last week.
Last year, 700 cases. This year, 64.
Philadelphia health officials yesterday reported 74 confirmed flu cases as of last week. The number represents a fraction of total cases because most patients are not subjected to lab tests. The city gauges the disease's prevalence by tracking cases at three hospitals and comparing the number with those from previous flu seasons, according to Caroline C. Johnson, the city's director of the disease control program. The hospitals are Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, and Albert Einstein Medical Center.
Last year, for instance, the number of influenza A cases - the viral type that the city specifically follows at the three hospitals - had topped 700 by Jan. 18. By comparison, the city had reported 64 influenza A cases as of last week. (emphasis mine)
Full article is here No shortage of flu shots, officials say.
They say the strain this year is the same as last year, so many people still had immunity. If that's the case, why don't they tell people that? How many other years were the strains the same, and people still paid for flu shots that they could have very well done without?
I haven't gotten a flu shot in over 30 yrs. I haven't gotten the flu in any of those years. I've lived in different places, travelled, worked. Of course, I'm a normally healthy adult -- but so are most of the people who get flu shots.
The big question is -- why are the stats so low this year, given that this year hardly anybody got flu shots? Is it just a big scam for most people?