The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the flu this year has claimed the lives of nearly 20 children across the U.S. and seven percent of senior deaths over the last month.
It's already been a bad flu season. Now it’s hit the peak. Some medical experts say there's a chance it could get worse before it's over.
Dr. James Pinkney, II said typically the flu vaccine is about 60-percent effective. This year it's only 30-percent effective.
“The problem is the flu virus can actually mutate, so we are seeing a lot of H3N2 strain, but who knows in the next few weeks, if the virus mutates again, and we have an even less effective vaccine,” said Pinkney.
He said medical experts have been looking at an universal flu vaccine for years. Again, the problem is the strains are able to mutate.
“The problem is trying to figure how you can match the vaccine to the actual strains that are going to be affecting the population in any given year. And, those strains can mutate,” said Pinkney.
There’s still another month or two left in the flu season.