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This is not a new strain of the flu. one might think since we know of this flu and we've had the vaccines, this should be more effective. >> it should be more effective but what happened this year, the strain, even though it's not new, it did mutate just enough to get around the vaccine. we're saying probably about 30% effective. we'll find out more in the next day or two. but that having been said, even though the flu shot isn't as effective as we'd like it to be, it still does offer some protection and as most experts say, it's the best thing we have going. >> so you get a flu shot, does tha...

Here at usc, a lot of people are showing up at the energy department. ambulances will come to this door and come through this way. this is dr. dorian who is the associate chief medical officer at usc. i'm going to have to sanitize after shaking your hand. thank you for having us here. people across the country are wondering, looking at what's happening not just in southern california but virtually every state in the union, saying why is the flu so bad this year? >> it definitely is worse than the last few years. it seems like h 3 n 2 is more prominent than the classic h1n1. but it's no differe...

And what other measures can people take to protect themselves from the flu beyond the vaccination? >> i don't know we can predict when it's going to peak. i mean, part of the issue with the h 3 n 2, they didn't realize it was going to be a serious element this year until last march. by that time it was too late to get it in the vaccine that was being developed. i think what people need to do is the preventive kind of things. wash your hands. and you want to do a 20 secondhand wash. sing something like "happy birthday" or something that takes 20 seconds. an alternative vansanitizers. hand sanit...

For flu on google and assimilate the information and you get a sort of heat map. you get an idea of where flu will be particularly bad. hotter spots flu is bad. they can even go deeper than that. if you look at a particular city you can find when the flu is going to be worse. new york city, the prediction is the week of january 10 when flu will be the worst. there is a website. the thing is i guess the value you might keep your kids home from school, cancel play dates, hospitals could have more surge capacity. >> a lot of people ask do i really need to get the flu shot? the people who don't ge...

Than the day before and you never know when you're going to, you know, cross that nasty virus and it could be a problem for you. >> harris: there are a lot of other ways to be careful, so say the experts. one man in north carolina taking no chances even when it comes to putting gas in his car. >> i never thought about the gas pumps, but everybody is touching is so i could imagine it would be pretty dirty. you know, you never know what you're getting in contact with. everyday things you run into. >> harris: wow. pretty soon won't be able to touch anything. the flu widespread in 47 states all ex...