[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, this flu season could be the worst in decades. It started early and a new strain of influenza could make infections tougher to beat. So the question is what can you do to protect yourself? Joining us from St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, flu expert Richard Webby. We appreciate you joining us, Mr. Webby. Thanks very much.
[Richard Webby, St Jude's Children's Research Hospital:] It's a pleasure.
[Cooper:] Why is it going to be so bad this year?
[Webby:] Well, we've got a couple of things we're worried about with the flu this season. The first, as you just mentioned, it started early. It's some of the earliest, one of the earliest starts we've seen for a number of years in the U.S. And also the virus that's circulating is a little different than the virus that's actually in the vaccine this year.
[Cooper:] How can that happen? I mean I believe it's the Fujian strain, if I'm pronouncing it correctly, that's circulating this year. That's the one that's not in this virus. How are flu shots made and why wasn't this accounted for?
[Webby:] OK, so how the flu shots are made. It's really the World Health Organization has an international network of laboratories, the CDC being part of that here in the U.S. And laboratories each flu season collect a number of virus strains and they look at what the virus out that's circulating. And based on that information, they, I guess, make a guess as to what the best strain to have in the vaccine for the upcoming season. This particular virus did emerge at the very, very end of last flu season in the southern hemisphere. But the WHO didn't have time to put this virus into their vaccine for this year.
[Cooper:] It's interesting, I guess you need a lot of lead time, so there's a certain amount of guesswork involved in it. So the question is what can people do? I mean should you get this flu shot if it's not exactly tailor made to the virus that's out there?
[Webby:] Almost certainly. Although it's not a perfect match, it's certainly going to reduce the severity of disease that anyone gets and certainly I would recommend anybody go out there and get the flu vaccine still, even though it's not a perfect match.
[Cooper:] Is the medical community ready for this? I mean have they responded well so far?
[Webby:] So far this season it's OK. What we're particularly worried about and what the community is not so prepared for is an, actually, an influenza pandemic. So the virus, this Fujian strain, is still the same virus that has been circulating, but it's just mutated a little bit.
[Cooper:] You used the word pandemic. That means an entirely new virus. And you think that may be possible somewhere down the road, a few years from now?
[Webby:] That's what we're all scared of, one of these viruses, a bit like SARS, but the flu equivalent of SARS, where we get another virus jumping from these animal reservoirs into humans.
[Cooper:] All right, but the bottom line this year, that is not the case. This is not a pandemic. But people should still get their flu vaccines, you're saying?
[Webby:] That's correct. So people, if they get sick, should stay at home, go and see your doctor. There are very good flu drugs available, but you've got to get to the doctor early for those to be most effective.
[Cooper:] Richard Webby, appreciate you joining us. Thanks very much.
[Webby:] Thank you very much.