Influenza Update

Once again, the flu season is upon us and it is important to be aware of current influenza trends to reduce our risk of getting sick. The influenza virus is linked with symptoms such as a sore throat, congestion, cough, malaise, and fever. Since influenza is an enveloped virus, handwashing and using hand sanitizers will effectively eliminate this virus from our hands, therefore I cannot stress enough how important it is to be mindful of your hand hygiene throughout the fall and winter (and preferably all year round). Our other best defense against getting the flu is to get a flu vaccine. To maximize its effectiveness, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), recommend getting the flu vaccine by the end of October. Luckily, as of the end of January, about 173.3 million doses of the flu vaccine have been administered in the United States. I am thrilled that so many Americans are taking action to prevent the flu or to lessen its symptoms and are building herd immunity to protect those that are not able to get vaccinated against the flu.

Though it is difficult to predict which strains will be circulating in a given year, this year’s trivalent vaccine can protect you from three different strains of influenza, these include: “/Kansas/14/2017 (H3N2)-like virus”, “A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus”, and “B/Colorado/06/2017-like (Victoria lineage) virus”; while the quadrivalent vaccine will also protect you from the “B/Phuket/3073/2013-like (Yamagata lineage) virus”. Though it is too early to determine how effective this year’s vaccine truly is, CDC scientists report that at least some of the strains in this year’s vaccine (“influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and B/Yamagata viruses”) are similar to the strains that are found in infected patients. Unfortunately, other strains that were found in patients are not as similar to the vaccine strains (“influenza B/Victoria and A(H3N2) viruses”). However, it is important to remember that even if the vaccine is not 100% effective (this is usually closer to “40-60%”), it can lessen the symptoms of an infection and protect you from grave consequences.

Currently, all U.S. states are reporting widespread or regional occurrences of influenza. The majority of individuals are being infected by influenza B strains, followed by influenza A strains. It saddens me to say that already 68 child deaths have been reported. Researchers have found that parents of children who have already received one flu vaccine may still be unsure about that vaccine, so it very important to educate families about the life-saving benefits of vaccination and provide positive messages. On the bright-side, though over 8,000 individuals with influenza cases have been hospitalized in the United States we have not reached an epidemic mortality level this year (6.7% vs. 7.2%); this highlights that even if the vaccine is not 100% perfect, it can still protect us from infection and death. In conclusion, if you are able to, make sure you get the flu vaccine every year to protect yourself and those around you!

References

Blümel, Johannes, et al. “Influenza Virus.” Transfusion Medicine and Hemotherapy, vol. 36, no. 1, Feb. 2009, pp. 32–39, doi:10.1159/000197314.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu Symptoms & Diagnosis. 2019, https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/index.html.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Frequently Asked Influenza (Flu) Questions: 2019-2020 Season. 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2019-2020.htm.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Supply & Distribution.” 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/vaccine-supply-distribution.htm. Accessed 6 Feb. 2020.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report. 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/#S5.

Grohskopf, Lisa A., et al. “Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2019–20 Influenza Season.” MMWR. Recommendations and Reports, vol. 68, no. 3, Aug. 2019, pp. 1–21, doi:10.15585/mmwr.rr6803a1.

Kim, Tae Hyong. “Seasonal Influenza and Vaccine Herd Effect.” Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research, vol. 3, no. 2, Korean Vaccine Society (KAMJE), 2014, p. 128, doi:10.7774/cevr.2014.3.2.128.

Nekrasova, Ekaterina, et al. “Vaccine Hesitancy and Influenza Beliefs among Parents of Children Requiring a Second Dose of Influenza Vaccine in a Season: An American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) Study.” Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, Feb. 2020, pp. 1–8, doi:10.1080/21645515.2019.1707006.