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Federal health officials face tough questions on flu vaccine

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, testifies before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, February 3, 2015. Fauci said the decision to vaccinate against measles "is really a slam dunk." (AP Photo/Molly Riley)
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, testifies before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, February 3, 2015. Fauci said the decision to vaccinate against measles "is really a slam dunk." (AP Photo/Molly Riley)

By Associated Press 2 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal health officials faced tough questioning Tuesday about why this year’s flu vaccine isn’t giving good protection against the winter menace.

This is a particularly bad flu season, and one reason is that the most common flu strain isn’t a good match to this year’s vaccine. Lawmakers on Tuesday asked why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn’t act months ago when concerns first arose to create a better-matched vaccine.

CDC immunization chief Dr. Anne Schuchat says it wasn’t possible to change course. While CDC first noticed a slight change in that strain last March, by the time the shift had become common in September, it was too late.

“We’re all frustrated,” said Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., who called the House Energy and Commerce oversight subcommittee hearing to examine ways to improve the flu vaccine production process.

This year’s flu vaccine is proving to be about 23 percent effective, far less than the usual 50 percent to 60 percent. With far more than usual hospitalizations among the elderly, it is a severe flu season. On average about 24,000 American die from flu each year.