This Year's Flu Vaccine Has Complete Transformation

It's flu season again and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises the people to have a flu shot to protect themselves from the virus. The flu vaccine this 2016 is different from the previous year.

According to Huffington Post, there are two basic types of flu vaccines this year. First is the vaccine that protects against three strains flu and the other one protects against four. The difference between the two is the "quadrivalent" vaccine, which also protects against a second Type B strain. On the other hand, both flu vaccines protect against the strains that include H3N3, H1N1 and a Type B strain.

Dr. Tom Frieden, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said if they could heighten vaccination coverage by just five percent more, that would inhibit about 800,000 illnesses and almost 10,000 hospitalizations. He further said that flu vaccine is one of the best buys for public health.

Dr. Frieden added that the problem is that vaccination that is delayed is often a vaccination forgotten. He advised the people that it is  important that they get a shot soon rather than holding out for one they might prefer.

Omaha reports that influenza had sickened hundreds of thousands of people each year. There are about on average 24,000 people die of it in the U.S. each year. This includes about 100 children, according to CDC.

Influenza increases in October and November. It peaks between December and March and can last in May. Experts advise people to get a flu shot before there's a lot of flu in the community. The vaccine is not that perfect but it could lower the person's risk of acquiring diseases by an average of 50 to 60 percent. "There's nothing else you can do to cut your risk in half," said Dr. Frieden.