Flu shots available, but should you get one?

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- We're barely into September but you've probably seen signs for flu shots.

The vaccine is already available at many pharmacies and doctors' offices.

You may remember last year, the vaccine wasn't a good match for the virus going around.

But it still offered some protection and some is better than none.

So what's expected this year for the flu shot?

This year, researchers are hoping for better results. They are also working to make changes in the future.

In 2014, the flu arrived just before Christmas, and didn't finally move out until Mother's Day.

And less than 20-percent of people who were vaccinated got full protection.

At the Wistar Institute, scientists say the vaccine missed because the influenza virus mutated, or changed, before it got here.

"There were at least 5 or so mutations," says Scott Hensley, Ph.D., a flu virus expert.

They show up in red and yellow on a microscopic image of the H3N2.

But team leader Scott Hensley blames most of the mismatch on a single mutation.

He says his lab is trying to get a better match by learning what triggers mutations, and which ones will affect vaccine accuracy.

"If we have better information, we can make better predictions on how that virus might move," says Hensley.

For now, Hensley says the drive is on for more efficient vaccine production.

Right now, most American flu vaccine is made in eggs.

It's a 6-month process.

So decisions on the strains to be included must be made before the last flu outbreak is even over.

There are alternative methods, but they aren't widely used yet.

Much of this year's vaccine will offer a little more protection - guarding against 4 strains, instead of 3.

And despite the flu vaccine's faults, it still saves lives.

"People may have gotten sick last year, but chances are the severity was not as great," notes Hensley.

Still, last winter, 142 kids died from complications due to the flu. That's a a bit higher than the year before.

But it was just half of what happened in 2009, when the H1N1 flu spread before the vaccine was out.

Wistar Institute and other centers are also working on creating a universal flu vaccine so it wouldn't have to change every year.

However, that's still several years away.