What you need to know about the flu vaccine and the flu season :: WRAL.com

By Curtis Sprung, freelance journalist

This article was written for our sponsor, Cape Fear Valley Health.

The flu season is the inevitable holiday event. As weather conditions get colder and pumpkin products fill store shelves, it appears that all pharmacies, office buildings and department stores are starting to offer the flu vaccine.

"It's fabulous," said Dr. John McNeil, director of clinical research sciences at Cape Fear Valley Health. "It has proven to be one of the most effective public health programs we have." "Influenza and influenza-related death rates have dropped since generalized influenza vaccination became the norm of care."

As effective as the flu vaccine is, it is not perfect and flu epidemics still occur.

The 2017-2018 season has been one of the worst influenza seasons since 2009. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website ranked the 2017-2018 season as "very severe" and recorded 30,453 hospitalizations related to influenza.

The effectiveness of the influenza vaccine varies from one year to the next. In 2017-2018, the vaccine was only modestly effective. For many years, the efficiency is exceptional. This largely depends on the extent to which influenza strains used to make the influenza vaccine match what is actually circulating in the population during the influenza season. The closer the match is, the better the effectiveness of the vaccine.

What to do

Unfortunately, the most recent influenza season provides no indication of the severity of the coming season.

Doctors and scientists are studying influenza strains found in China and South America to estimate how the virus will become when it arrives in North America. The CDC website explains that more than 100 influenza centers around the world are studying the virus before sending results to five World Health Organization facilities. These facilities recommend the type of vaccine to be manufactured, which is then approved and used by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The flu virus is very likely to change and may change over time, reducing the effectiveness of the flu shot. But researchers are constantly testing and looking for ways to improve the vaccine in the hope that it is not necessary to modify and update it every year.

"If we can identify an antigen that is kept from the flu virus to the influenza virus and that induces a protective immune response, then we have the golden bullet," McNeil said. "Viruses do not like to migrate away from the conserved parts of their genome because they need it to survive."

He added, "A good analogy is the heart, we would not want to change our heart antigenically to our hair because we need our heart to be a vital organ to live in. The normal human hearts are preserved and almost identical. One person on the other Our hair is quite variable – lots of colors, curls, texture, et cetera The heart is vital, the hair not so much.

This "gold ball" can be found in our life.

In February, researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases published a new strategy for finding an effective universal flu vaccine. The strategy identified gaps in knowledge and identified new strategies to fill these gaps.

NIAID criteria for a universal influenza vaccine include: 75% efficacy, protection against influenza A viruses in groups I and II, protection for at least one year, and fitness for all age groups. age.

The universal vaccine is still in years, but there are ways to prepare for the next flu season.

Tips for Preparing the 2019 Flu Season

1. Get vaccinated – you can not get the flu with the flu vaccine.

   "It's a common misconception that you can catch the flu from the flu shot," McNeil said. "Almost all influenza vaccines use killed viruses, only one [Flumist] uses a weak live virus. However, it is not usual for people to experience adverse reactions to influenza vaccine proteins. These include a red and swollen arm where they have been vaccinated, fatigue, a mild fever and simply a feeling of disgust. These side effects are all short-lived and are the normal response of your immune system to a foreign antigen. The benefits of influenza vaccination far outweigh the risks. "

2. It does not matter where you get the flu shot.

   "I think convenience and cost are the most important considerations – almost everyone is giving flu shots now," said McNeil.

3. Wait for the month of November – the 2017 flu season officially took place from October 1 to May 19 and saw two major strains of the flu spread. McNeil suggests waiting unless you are a high risk patient.

   "Since there is usually not much flu activity in October and its effectiveness decreases over time, so that your bet is at the height of immunity, I recommend to people of Wait until early November, "he said.

If you take these precautions and still catch the flu, you are one of the unlucky ones. But the good news is that the flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the severity of the virus.

Not only is the flu vaccine good for you, but if you are vaccinated enough, those who can not do it are protected by collective immunity. The benefits are many and without any way to predict the severity of the influenza season this year, the flu vaccine can only help you.

This article was written for our sponsor, Cape Fear Valley Health.