Flu vaccines still are the best answer
Adam’s journal
Since Christmas, I feel like I’ve been living in a danger zone. Or, more specifically, a flu ward.
Just about every day seems to bring a new report of someone — a friend, a friend of a friend, a co-worker — who’s come down with influenza. At first, I figured I was above the fray because I’d received a flu vaccination this year. But it turns out that several of the folks who’ve contracted the flu did so after being vaccinated. My subsequent Googling only served to stoke my worries, as I read reports that this year’s vaccine may be only 10 percent effective.
So, what’s the story? Shouldn’t getting vaccinated mean game over for seasonal flu worries?
Dr. Prescott prescribes
Vaccinations are the best defense we have against flu, but they’re still far from perfect. The vaccine’s effectiveness varies considerably from year to year, and this stems from two major issues.
First, because the flu virus constantly mutates, health experts must predict — nearly a year in advance — what strains they believe are most likely to be prevalent in the following flu season. Often, these predictions don’t hold true, so there’s a mismatch between the vaccines and the strains that end up circulating.
The second issue involves how the vaccine is made. Even if scientists make the right call on which strain of flu to protect against, the process of creating the vaccine seems to introduce an error that reduces its effectiveness. The current theory is that this is the problem with this year’s vaccine.
We’re still relatively early in the flu season, but the dominant strain we’ve seen is called H3N2. This is a strain of so-called type A influenza, which often originates in birds or pigs and can carry severe respiratory symptoms.
Health experts correctly predicted the emergence of this particular type of flu. However, as the “seed virus” grew in eggs used to create the vaccine, it seems to have picked up mutations foreign to human flu. Consequently, in Australia, which has its flu season during our summer, the vaccine showed only 10 percent effectiveness against the dominant H3N2 strain, resulting in record flu levels for that country.
If the same chain of events plays out in the U.S., we can expect to see flu numbers higher than in recent years. Still, there are reasons to believe we’ll fare better than our friends Down Under.
In Australia, only health care workers and people at high risk for flu (such as those with compromised immunity) are vaccinated. In the U.S., vaccines are recommended for any healthy person age 6 months or older. In this broader, healthier population, experts expect to see vaccine effectiveness rates in the 30 percent range.
In addition, the H3N2 strain that hit Australia actually circulated in the U.S. last year. That means people who got sick last year should be immune to this strain.
Anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated still has time to get a flu shot. Despite its imperfections, it’s worthwhile, because some protection is preferable to none at all. Also, it appears that even when the vaccine doesn’t prevent people from getting the flu, it lessens the severity of the illness. That can make a big difference with a respiratory condition that kills more than 10,000 Americans each year.
Beyond the vaccine, the best things you can do to protect yourself are common-sensical. Wash your hands often. Keep them away from your mouth and nose. Avoid people who are sick.
Sure, the flu can pass among us about as easily as the latest silly video of a cat playing the piano. But good health habits can help you avoid this viral phenomenon.