At the beginning of flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday that this year's flu vaccine is no longer that effective due to the mutation of the virus.

CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said that the researchers are worried that the current strain of the flu virus might result to more severe cases, more hospitalizations and possibly even more deaths.

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The advisory was first blasted on Wednesday, wherein CDC pointed out that 52% of the 85 influenza virus samples collected from October 1 to November 22 were different than the virus strains that are in the vaccine this year, proving the occurence of the mutation.

The most common strain found is in the influenza A or the H3N2. It also showed the same strain in the past and has been linked to higher number of deaths and hospitalizations.

Most of the virus' victims are those with a high risk for complications. More often than not, the young ones, the elderly, and those with chronic health conditions like asthma or heart-related problems are the targets of the flu virus.

Just this February, a panel of experts decided to incude thre strains of the virus in the vaccine, based on data about the most common strains circulating all over the world the whole year. However, it has been announced that it is already too late to create another version of the flu vaccine for this year because it takes four months to produce the said vaccine.

Although the vaccine this year will not be as effective, CDC assured that it can still decrease the severity of the illness as it can still protect the patient against the circulating strain of virus.

Freiden also advised people to watch out for symptoms such as fever, sore throat, cough and body aches and they should already take antiviral medications such as Tamiflu and Relenza should they experience such.

This year, five children from the United States have already died from the flu but it not yet clear if they have been vaccinated. In the past years, 98% of children who died from the virus were not vaccinated.

TagsFlu Shots, flu vaccine, flu season, Flu, virus mutation, CDC