Is this year's vaccine a good match?

Unfortunately, we won’t know whether the flu vaccine is a good match to circulating flu viruses until well into the flu season. It’s not possible to predict with certainty if a flu vaccine will be a good match for circulating flu viruses. 

A flu vaccine is made to protect against the flu viruses that research and surveillance indicate will likely be most common during the season. However, experts must pick which flu viruses to include in a flu vaccine many months in advance in order for flu vaccines to be produced and delivered on time

CDC works to characterize about 2000 circulating flu viruses every year to compare them to the virus strains in the vaccine.  This helps them understand the flu vaccine’s ability to produce an immune response in people. It also helps them decide what strains to include in the next season’s flu vaccine.

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1. What types of flu vaccine are available?
2. When does the flu season start? When does it end?
3. Can a flu shot give me the flu?
4. Is this year's vaccine a good match?
5. Why do we count pediatric flu deaths and not adult flu deaths?
6. What is the difference between a pandemic and a normal flu season?
7. When should I get vaccinated?
8. Does the flu vaccine work right away?
9. Does the flu shot wear off if I get it too early?
10. What protection does the flu vaccine provide if I do get sick with flu?
11. Why do I need a new flu shot every year?
12. Where can I get a flu vaccine?