I got the flu shot this year as well and got the flu. It certainly was not as bad as normal and only lasted 3-4 days or so. I just read an article linked to the swine flu that stated the flu vaccine that was administered this year was not effective because the strain of flu this year was different. The CDC takes an educated guess at which flu strain will be the most dangerous and most active...this year they guessed wrong. So, the flu vaccine was completely useless. The CDC said if you got it, it may have helped a little, but not completely.
Of course, they don't have a swine or avian flu vaccine. They do have antiviral medications they can give which can help get rid of the flu quicker. These swine and avian flu viruses are so dangerous because they spread and change so quickly. This certainly has the potential to be an epidemic or even worse, pandemic.