KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Researchers with the CDC say there's been a large difference between the flu season this year and last.
In the 2017-2018 season, the flu vaccine had a 25 percent effectiveness against the H3N2 strain.
This flu season, there's been a 47 percent effectiveness against all circulating strains.
In Missouri, the latest weekly snapshot shows the number of flu cases, and the difference of this year's flu season in comparison to previous years.
In Kansas, here's a snapshot of the number of visits for flu like symptoms:
Dr. Gary Slazman with Truman Medical Center said the reason for the higher effective rate is due to more examination on the virus.
"I think the research is better and doing a better job of matching the vaccine with what viruses were going to be out so part of it's a guessing game, you gotta predict what viruses are going to be there," Dr. Salzman said.
CDC researchers showed a 61 percent effective rate in children who were vaccinated between the ages of 6 months and 17 years old.
And while the flu vaccine is working, the season's not over yet.
"In Kansas City, we usually see see our peak late in the winter so February, March, so really right now, we're seeing right now we're seeing the peak flu season," Dr. Salzman sais. "It's still a good time to get the flu shot, you know it works and you certainly don't want to be knocked down with the flu."
For a detailed snapshot from your state, click here.
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