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This season's vaccine isn't perfect fit, but does offer some help, experts say
By Tracy Wheeler
Beacon Journal medical writer
Published on Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008
Each year, a group of national-health experts takes a guess at what the prevailing flu viruses will be in the year ahead.
This year, they guessed wrong.
But that doesn't mean that there isn't value in this year's flu shot, said Dr. Marguerite A. Erme, an epidemiologist at the Akron Health Department.
''What people need to take from this, when they hear someone say the vaccine is mismatched, is that it's not an all-or-nothing situation,'' Erme said.
Three predominant flu strains circulate every year: two A-type viruses (H1N1 and H3N2) and one B virus.
The vaccine used for this 2007-08 flu season is not a perfect fit, matching just one (the H1N1 strain) of the three, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Ohio, though, there is a bit of good news. So far, the prevalent strain has been an A-H3N2-type virus that is part of this year's flu vaccine, Erme said, meaning that both A-type strains are matching the vaccine in Ohio. Whether that holds true throughout flu season, though, is anybody's guess.
Either way, she said, flu shots are still valuable.
Considering the three strains of influenza, think of the flu as three illnesses, she said. The vaccine still offers protection against one of the three.
''If you come in contact with H1N1,'' Erme said, ''then you're protected.''
And there's even some limited value with the other two strains.
''This is especially true in people who are at high risk for severe complications, who, if vaccine could lessen the severity of the disease or prevent the disease, may actually decrease their risk of dying or being hospitalized,'' Joe Bresee, the CDC's chief of epidemiology and prevention, said during a teleconference Friday.
Erme said that even though the prevailing H3N2 and B viruses aren't good matches with this year's vaccine, they are still somewhat related to the viruses contained in the flu shots — kind of like cousins that might share some characteristics, but not all.
And don't forget, she said, there are precautions one can take beyond flu shots: Wash your hands often. Cover your coughs and sneezes. Stay away from those who are sick. And stay home from work or school when you're sick.
Flu in the Akron area has been on the rise over the past two to three weeks. ''How long it will keep going on the upswing, I don't know,'' Erme said.
Despite the vaccine mismatch, this flu season is not showing any signs of being among the worst.
''What we're seeing this season is typical of influenza seasons in the past 20 seasons and expected,'' Bresee said.
Tracy Wheeler can be reached at 330-996-3721 or tawheeler@thebeaconjournal.com.
Each year, a group of national-health experts takes a guess at what the prevailing flu viruses will be in the year ahead.
Get the full article here.
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