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Seasonal flu is a major concern for global health. Around the world, annual influenza epidemics result in three to five million serious illnesses and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths. In industrialized countries, most deaths associated with the flu occur in people aged 65 and older, who are also 10 to 30 times more likely to be hospitalized because of complications related to influenza.
In the United States, the overall burden of influenza in 2014-15 for all ages was 40 million people with influenza, 19 million influenza-associated medical visits, and 970,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations. more than 36,000 deaths due to flu-related complications.
You play an important role in fighting the spread of the flu, not just for yourself, but for others. As a physician and public health professional who has treated many people with the flu, I will explain why.
And no, the vaccine will not give you the flu.
Protecting yourself also helps others
Almost everyone should be vaccinated against influenza, preferably by the end of October, although the influenza vaccine is administered until the end of the season, usually in late spring. The influenza vaccine has been shown to be one of the most important preventative measures against the flu. Almost everyone can get the flu shot. Exceptions include infants under six months of age and people with severe influenza vaccine reactions, such as anaphylaxis, a serious life-threatening reaction.
Some people get hives from eggs, but this is not considered a serious reaction. If you are one of these people, you can still get flu shots from standard providers. Even those with severe egg allergy can be vaccinated against influenza in a medical setting.
The CDC estimates that, for the 2014-2015 influenza season, influenza vaccination has prevented approximately 67,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations, approximately 1.9 million influenza-associated illnesses and 966,000 influenza-associated medical visits.
Getting the vaccine is not only good for you but also for the wider community. About 70% of the population must receive the influenza vaccine to ensure what we call "collective immunity". This occurs when a critical part of a community is immune to a contagious disease.
When this happens, most community members, including those who are not vaccinated, are protected against this disease as there is little possibility of an outbreak. Even those who are not eligible for some vaccines are protected because the spread of the contagious disease is controlled. This can effectively stop the spread of the disease in the community.
Match influenza vaccine with strains
The seasonal flu vaccine protects against influenza viruses that, according to research, will be the most common this season. In
During the last 16 influenza seasons, the influenza vaccine viruses were well matched to the predominant influenza viruses circulating. Due to the large number of influenza-related illnesses and deaths in the United States, combined with evidence from numerous studies showing that influenza vaccination is not only safe but offers protection, current recommendations for influenza vaccination are supported .
The World Health Organization collaborates with laboratories that collect samples from hundreds of countries to determine the most common viruses each year. As influenza strains move in a fairly predictable way around the world, the decision which influenza strains should be included in the annual vaccine is made months in advance.
There are three main types of influenza viruses that cause disease in humans; A, B and C. Influenza A and B are associated with more serious illness and are included in the WHO influenza vaccine each year.
Sometimes, the influenza vaccine contains three strains, two A and one B. There is also a four-strain vaccine, with two strains A and B.
For influenza A, there are two main antigens, or proteins, in the influenza virus. The body reacts to an antigen with an immune response by producing antibodies.
Influenza antibodies develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination and provide protection against infection with the strains present in the vaccine. They can also be beneficial for closely related strains.
The main antigens of influenza A are H (hemagglutinin) and N (neuraminidase). They both have several subtypes and can combine different strains of the flu, such as H1N1 and H3N2. Influenza B bears the name of the place and year identified for the first time, as well as the lineage, for example, the type B / Brisbane / 60/2008 virus (Victoria lineage).
Typically, chicken eggs are used to make the influenza vaccine. Vaccine manufacturers inject influenza viruses into fertilized chicken eggs, which are then incubated for several days to allow replication. The fluid containing the virus is harvested from the eggs and formulated in the vaccine.
In the injectable vaccine, influenza viruses are inactivated or killed. The intranasal vaccine is live, but is made from the weakened flu virus. The CDC does not recommend the intranasal vaccine this year for reasons of effectiveness.
Neither influenza vaccine causes the flu, but you can still get the flu even if you are vaccinated. This can happen if you are exposed to a strain not listed in the vaccine or if you have been exposed less than two weeks after vaccination. Also, do not forget that even if no vaccine provides 100% protection, the vaccine can reduce what would have been a serious case of influenza.
The CDC conducts studies to measure the benefits of seasonal flu vaccination each year. These vaccine efficacy studies confirm the benefit of influenza vaccination as a public health intervention. Although the effectiveness of the vaccine may vary, studies show that the vaccine reduces by about 50 to 60% the risk of contracting influenza within the total population during seasons when most of the viruses in the circulating influenza resemble those of the vaccine.
This effectiveness is a major advantage because influenza affects every year 5 to 10% of adults and 20 to 30% of children. For the 2015-2016 influenza season, the adjusted overall effectiveness of the influenza vaccine was 47%.
And remember, even if it does not, it can protect you and your loved ones against a life-threatening but preventable disease.
Other things to do too
Although the vaccine has proven to be one of the most important preventative measures against influenza, you can also do something else. Wash your hands. If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth or nose with your sleeve, not your hands. Avoid those who are sick.
Antiviral drugs can help you feel better if you get the flu, but they must be started early in your illness. You should therefore contact your health care provider as soon as the symptoms appear.
Good advice: stay home if you have the flu.
Best advice: get vaccinated against the flu!
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. The Conversation is an independent, non-profit source of information, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Read the original article here.
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