Pediatrics female doctor giving a young girl a vaccine shot in the arm

Those who received the flu shot for the 2019-2020 season are more likely to stay healthy because of it than those who received last year’s shot, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.

U.S. Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network data on more than 4,000 children and adults who have acquired acute respiratory illness between late October 2019 and late January 2020 shows that this season's flu vaccine is 45 percent effective in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza virus infections.

The CDC says the flu shot for the 2018-2019 influenza season was an estimated 29 percent effective against illnesses. That vaccine is believed to have prevented 4.4 million illnesses, including 58,000 hospitalizations and 3,500 deaths.

The CDC says the flu shot remains the best way to protect against influenza and the complications it causes.