Good article. Interesting and understandable. Thanks.
P. S. This is my third try to post due to the submit processing demanding a category. There is no category for this article or comment! Should you have one for science? Or "what's going on at Stanford?"

It seems that many flu vaccines are useless for the flu viruses they were made to protect against. In spite of getting vaccinated, 3 out of 4 times I get the flu I was vaccinated for anyway!

Does this mean that testosterone beats the flu virus out of a man's system and that the flu vaccine hampers that somewhat? That is, do men with low testosterone get the flu more and worse and the vaccine study just piggybacks on that fact?

Hey Impotent ... how do you know you got the flu? You probably just caught a cold, the flu is a different animal. Most colds and other viruses make you exaggerate that you wish you were dead sometimes, but the flu can really kill you. I think I got the flu for real just once in my life, and it knocked the hell out of me for over a weak. I could hardly move, it was an entirely different experience from whatever I had had before in my life, though I did not verify that with a doctor.

It would be so nice if you would kindly include a link to the publication.

Np, I had the actual flu, confirmed by the doctor with a "snot sample". Spent ten days in bed each time with very high fever, swollen throat, vomiting ( a cold does not make you vomit, and is over in <5 days). Tamiflu worked for some, but not for the last two.

Impotent - the flu vaccine does not generally prevent the flu, but it might help reduce symptoms. Its a common misconception. In studies where the flu vaccine is tested against live flu virus, the vaccine prevents infection in 1 out of 33 people. However, in 20 out of 33 people, it runs a milder course. In the remaining third, it does nothing. Thats if the virus is a close or exact match, which isnt always the case. The vaccine is considered 'effective' if you do not require medical care.
But by milder course, you will still get a 103 degree fever, thick mucus cough, and extreme lethargy, but only for 2-3 days as opposed to 7-10 before your body turns the tide. You will still have long lasting damage to your lungs that will take months to heal.
I have had the flu both in years where I was vaccinated and those where I was not, and it was much longer in the year I didnt get the vaccine. I missed an entire week of work, compared to 2 days and a weekend for the time I got h1n1 swine after being vaccinated. Yes it was lab confirmed.