Just about everyone is supposed to get a flu shot every year, and two groups are particular no-brainers — pregnant women and health care workers. But new numbers released on Thursday show that fewer than half of pregnant women got vaccinated last year and just two-thirds of health care workers did.
Although they’ve been pushing flu vaccination hard for more than a decade, public health officials admit they are still finding it a hard sell. But it’s not necessarily resistance. It just may not yet be easy enough to get the vaccine. And recent mild flu seasons haven’t helped.
About 128 million people, or about 42 percent of the U.S. population, got immunized against influenza last year. Because flu viruses constantly mutate and evolve, people must get vaccinated with a fresh formula every year to be fully protected. This year’s vaccine protects against the three most common circulating strains.
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