2015-2016 INFLUENZA SEASON TREATMENT TO CONTAIN FOUR VARIANTS IN THE VACCINEThe 2014-2015 season was moderately severe, partially because the H3N2 flu variant dominated, which was unexpected and unprepared for. The work on the vaccine was begun in February and the emergence of the H3N2 was so rapid that the manufacturers were unprepared to get a modified vaccine out in time, which meant that the vaccine was about 18% effective against that strain of the flu.The manufacturers will be preparing for the 2015-2016 flu season with a vaccine with two A strains and two B strains. The vaccine will target H1N1, the variant that caused the 2009 pandemic, and will include vaccine against H3N2. In this last season, hundreds of thousands of people were hospitalized, and thousands died, most of the deaths occurred in the population of people 65 and older.The CDC reported that 141 children died in 40 states in the last flu season, which is pretty average. The 2009-2010 flu season had a pandemic with took the lives of 358 children.The CDC recommends that every year everyone six months old and older get vaccinated for the flu. There is no way to prepare for every possibility that flu variants can take, but they will use the best medical science to prepare as best they can.An article on the influenza pandemic and vaccine in WEBMD online can be read by clicking here.At Clark Family Dental, we encourage all of our patients to get vaccinated against the flu. We care about your health.