How f lu jab protected only 15% of patients

THE flu jab was ineffective for the vast majority of patients, officials have admitted.

Only 15 per cent who were given this year’s vaccine were fully protected against the virus.

For over-65s – the group most at risk of flu – the figures were worse, with just 10 per cent protected.

But Public Health England (PHE) urged patients to get this Winter’s flu jab as it is still their best defence against the illness.

This year’s flu outbreak was the worst in seven years and A&E departments and GP surgeries were inundated with patients.

At the height of the crisis in January, NHS bosses cancelled all non-urgent procedures for four weeks to free up hospital beds.

The reason the jab failed to work was because it was developed in March 2017 – eight months before the flu season begins in November. Scientists have to predict which strains of the flu virus will be in circulation in Northern Hemisphere countries the following winter, based on what’s happening in the Southern Hemisphere.

But they don’t always get it right and a surprise flu strain emerged, known as B Yamagata, and became one of the most dominant.

Most of the vaccines provided by the NHS for 2017/18 offered no protection against this strain.

On top of this, the other strains which scientists correctly predict will be in circulation are liable to mutate. This means the virus’s characteristics are different and it doesn’t respond to the vaccine.

To improve protection rates, the NHS will be giving patients a stronger vaccine this Autumn.

Dr Paul Cosford, director for health protection and medical director at PHE, said: ‘Vaccine effectiveness varies year on year as the flu virus changes and is difficult to predict.

‘This upcoming season we are recommending that all those under 65 have the quadrivalent flu vaccine, which protects against both the main B strains and the two main flu A subtypes.

‘ We are also making a new booster vaccine available for all adults aged 65 or over in order to improve the immune response.

‘Vaccines are the best defence we have against flu and not only protect people who have received the vaccine but also those around them. We encourage everyone eligible to take up the offer of the vaccine this winter.’

The 2017/18 vaccine was far less effective than the 2016/17 jab which still only protected against 40 per cent of patients.

Despite the variability, health officials strongly encourage all atrisk patients to get the jab each Autumn. People who are eligible include the over-65s, pregnant women, children aged four and under and anyone with a longterm health condition.