Most vaccines, however, target viruses that are not prone to rapid change. And they work very well. In the 1980s, I was vaccinated for measles and rubella. In the 1990s, I was vaccinated for hep A and B. A couple of weeks ago, I had titers measured for measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, hep A and hep B, and I am immune against all of them. (I had mumps, chickenpox, and shingles, which accounts for those immunities.)
I also receive a flu vaccine every year (mandatory employment requirement) and I have never had the flu, despite the variable effectiveness of the vaccine.
Know that well, which is why I regard influenza vaccines as rather futile and possibly not worth the risk. My wife is a Clinical Nurse Specialist. She is forced to take it.
My beef is that I can't get a list of ingredients or have a choice of suppliers. There is no easy access to test data for me to asses the risk. I don't trust the FDA. I would rather put my trust into a supplier that is wary of the financial risks of screwing up.
We have allowed insurance to become an enormous problem in this country, as we continue to socialize risks. Insurers have become more financial companies than they are risk managers.