The worst flu season in decades is now responsible for the deaths of 84 children nationwide, with 22 deaths reported in just the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The flu shot has reduced the risk of getting the respiratory illness by approximately 36% and is only helpful in about 25% of H3N2 cases, which is the violent strand behind many illnesses this year, according to a new CDC report.
Children between the ages of six months and eight years are proving the be the best beneficiaries of the flu vaccine, which has shown to reduce their chances of contracting H3N2 by 59%, according to the same study.
Despite recent deaths, there is a dose of optimistic news with expert predicting the outbreak is starting to plateau.
