Is this year’s flu shot still worth it if the strain is a ‘bad match’?
Is This Year's Flu Shot Still Worth It If the Strain is a 'Bad Match'?: What Ontario Parents Need to Know
You've heard the flu shot might not match well this year, and you're wondering if it's still worth getting for your family. Yes, it absolutely is. Even in a "mismatch" year, the flu vaccine still offers significant protection and can make illness much milder if your child does get sick.
What's going on?
Every year, scientists make their best educated guess about which flu strains will circulate during the upcoming season. They have to decide months in advance, which sometimes leads to a mismatch between the vaccine and the dominant circulating strain.
When health officials talk about a "bad match," they mean the vaccine strains don't perfectly align with what's actually making people sick. This can happen because flu viruses mutate constantly, or because a strain that seemed minor during planning becomes the dominant one.
Even so, flu vaccines typically provide 40 to 60% protection when they're well matched, and 10 to 40% protection even when they're not perfectly aligned.
What you might notice with flu vaccine protection
- Shorter illness duration if your child does get flu
- Milder symptoms overall
- Less risk of serious complications
- Reduced chance of hospitalization
- Lower risk of spreading flu to others
- Some cross-protection against related strains
What helps your family stay protected
Getting vaccinated is still your best defense, even in a mismatch year. The vaccine often provides cross-protection against similar strains, and any protection is better than none.
Keep up other healthy habits too. Encourage frequent handwashing, teach your kids to cough into their elbows, and try to avoid close contact with obviously sick people when possible.
If your child does get flu despite vaccination, they'll likely recover faster and have less severe symptoms than unvaccinated children. The vaccine also reduces their risk of serious complications like pneumonia or hospitalization.
When to worry
Head to the emergency room if your child has difficulty breathing, chest pain, severe dehydration, or seems unusually drowsy and hard to wake up.
Call your doctor or text Arlo if your child has a high fever lasting more than three days, seems to get better then worse again, or if you're concerned about their symptoms. Antiviral medications can help if started early.
The takeaway
A "mismatched" flu shot is still much better than no flu shot at all. You're giving your child the best protection available, and that's exactly what good parents do.
You can always text Arlo and talk to a provider in 5 minutes!
References
- [Influenza (flu)](https://caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/health-conditions-and-treatments/influenza_flu)
- [Flu (influenza)](https://aboutkidshealth.ca/article?contentid=912&language=english)
- [Get your flu shot](https://ontario.ca/page/get-your-flu-shot)