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Less than half of North Carolinians were vaccinated against influenza last winter, the lowest vaccination rate in six years and one of the reasons the state has had the highest number of deaths from influenza in a decade.
the decline in vaccinations announced last week by the US Centers for Disease Control to remind people to get vaccinated quickly, before the temperature drops and the virus becomes more active.
37.1% across the country last winter, down in 37 states, up from 43.3% in the previous flu season of 2016-17. This decline is badociated with 79,000 influenza-related deaths in the country, the largest number of influenza-related deaths in more than three decades.
The decline was felt in North Carolina, where vaccination rates have long been higher than the national average. Last winter, the government's immunization rate fell from 50.8% to 50% in the 2016/17 influenza season, according to the CDC. At the same time, the number of influenza-related deaths in the state has reached 391, a greater number of influenza-related deaths than any other year since the flu became a reportable disease in 2009, and it was constantly monitored in subsequent years.
"Any decline is worrisome," said David Weber, an infectious disease specialist, professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at the UNC. "The lower the vaccination rate, the more likely it is that influenza will circulate."
Not only was it last year, fewer people were vaccinated against influenza in North Carolina, but is a marked decrease from previous years. The state immunization rate peaked at 52.4% in the winter of 2014-15 and was no less than 50% since 2011-12, when it was 46.5%.
According to the CDC, 49 million people in the country were infected with the flu last winter and 960,000 were hospitalized. These figures are based on computer-generated mathematical formulas and do not result from the combination of state totals, so there are no corresponding numbers for North Carolina.
Why so few people get the flu shot
Another factor contributing to the high number of deaths from influenza last winter was the predominance of the particularly virulent and resistant H3N2 influenza strain. vaccine. The CDC said the vaccine used last winter was 40% effective, but only 25% against H3N2.
The low efficacy of the influenza vaccine and the lingering belief that it can make you sick are probably the reasons why so few people were vaccinated last winter, said Keith Ramsey, medical director of the infection control at the Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. He said that as a society, we are still far from the CDC's goal, namely that 90% of the population be vaccinated by 2020.
Ramsey reiterated the position of the CDC that even a relatively inefficient vaccine reduces the severity of symptoms in sick people. , noting that "some antibodies are better than no antibodies".
Many doctors who spoke to The N & O said they regularly see patients who refuse to be vaccinated. Some patients say that the vaccine does not work, others think it can make them sick. Doctors have stated that the flu vaccine is made from dead virus particles and can not make people sick, although it can trigger an immune response that some people may feel bad and in bad weather.
Influenza vaccine is matched to circulating strains and manufactured months before influenza season, which requires speculation and leads to inaccuracy.
"The influenza vaccine is very good but it's not great," said Paul Cook, an infectious disease specialist at Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. "The influenza vaccine is a bit like a shitty shoot."
Although its effectiveness is lower than many other vaccines, it has a very high level of safety, Weber said.
"This vaccine is extremely safe," said Weber. "The most important thing to do is to take the vaccine."
Nasal Fog and High Pressure Jets
The CDC recommends influenza vaccination to anyone 6 months of age or older, but says the vaccine is especially important for the elderly. People, children and people with complications such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease and obesity are more susceptible to health complications resulting from an influenza infection. Last winter, 290 people in the state were aged 65 and over and seven were under 18 years old.
42% of the dead had been vaccinated and 58% had not been vaccinated. or had no flu vaccine documentation, according to the NC Department of Health and Social Services.
For those who do not like syringe injections into the muscle, the CDC recommends a flu shot for the nose virus for people aged 2 to 49 years. However, unlike other influenza vaccines, nasal fog is made from live influenza viruses that can cause infection and is not recommended for people with certain medical conditions and sensitivities.
In addition, the CDC recommends two vaccines administered without a needle and instead uses a high-pressure injector that penetrates the skin. Both jet injectors are for people aged 18 to 64 years old.
The Department of Health and Social Services of NC reported no deaths during the current influenza season, which began on October 1 and whose totals are updated once. one week. However, at least one person died of the flu before Oct. 1: Kathy Hartenstine, a 68-year-old Wake County School Board member, whose family said her death in September was caused by complications related to the flu.
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