Efficacy and duration of influenza vaccine for adults and children

Before explaining the effectiveness of Influenza vaccineLet’s break down its various benefits.

Influenza vaccine reduces the risk of getting sick

The main advantage of the flu vaccine is that it can prevent you from getting sick. influenza..The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that vaccinations were prevented during the 2019-2020 influenza season. 7.25 million Illness in the United States.

Influenza usually causes mild to moderate flu Symptoms For many, getting sick is still unpleasant and can make life difficult. It also increases the number of doctors seeing, school Or work..

Helps prevent serious illness

Influenza can be a potentially serious cause complications Like pneumonia and the underlying deterioration of health.Some people are at greater risk heavy sickness From the flu. This too:

Influenza vaccination can prevent these high-risk individuals from becoming infected with the flu and potentially becoming very ill.

In fact, the CDC estimates that influenza vaccination prevented it. 105,000 Hospitalization during the flu season 2019-2020.

May reduce the severity of flu symptoms

Some people who have been vaccinated against the flu are still getting the flu. However, there is evidence that the symptoms may not be as severe in these individuals.

For example 2017 study We evaluated how vaccination affected the severity of influenza in adults hospitalized for influenza.Vaccination turned out to be associated with lower Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Hospitalization and short hospitalization.

A 2020 research We investigated visits and hospitalizations to the pediatric emergency room during the 2018-2019 flu season. Influenza vaccination was found to reduce visits and hospitalizations to influenza-related emergency rooms by 40-60%.

Helps protect people in the community

Vaccination of the flu vaccine by many people in the community helps prevent the flu virus from circulating effectively within the community.

This can be an additional layer of protection, especially for those at risk of serious illness.

Influenza vaccine effect It may change from year to year. At the time of writing this article, the flu season from 2020 to 2021 is underway. Within the next few months, scientists will begin to obtain estimates of the efficacy of influenza vaccines from 2020 to 2021.

However CDC Currently, there is information on the estimated efficacy of the vaccine from past influenza seasons.

The graph below shows the effectiveness of influenza vaccines over the last five seasons.

Does the effectiveness of influenza vaccine vary by age group?

There may be some differences in vaccine efficacy between different age groups. The CDC tracks this data and data on the overall efficacy of influenza.

According to the CDC, let’s look at estimates of the efficacy of all vaccine types across different age groups from the last five flu seasons.

When looking at vaccine efficacy studies, it is important to remember that results can be influenced by several factors. These factors include the population surveyed, the particular influenza season, and how the survey is conducted.

There are some different things Types of influenza vaccine.. Many of them are given as injections. These vaccines contain only inactivated (“dead”) influenza virus or a single viral protein.

Nasal vaccine is an influenza vaccine that is sprayed into the nose. Infection cannot be established because it is composed of weakened viruses. It is known as the FluMist or Attenuated Live Influenza Vaccine (LAIV).

Previously, nasal spray vaccines were not recommended. This is due to its low effectiveness in children against certain types of influenza virus.

However, recent improvements have been seen in the production of this vaccine, and some data show that the effectiveness of nasal vaccines has become similar to that of influenza vaccination.

For this reason, nasal spray vaccine Recommended After the 2018-2019 flu season. In fact, CDC During the flu season from 2020 to 2021, one type of vaccine will not be prioritized over another.

Earlier we discussed its effectiveness Influenza vaccine It may vary from year to year. Let’s dig deeper into why this is the case.

Influenza strain selected for vaccine

The influenza virus is constantly changing. For this reason, influenza strains that were common during last year’s flu season may not be as prevalent as the current flu season.

At the beginning of each year, scientists meet to select strains to include in influenza vaccines in countries in the Northern Hemisphere, including the United States. Due to the time it takes for vaccine producers to make vaccines, these meetings are held earlier this year to prepare for the beginning of the fall flu season.

Vaccine strains are selected based on what current surveillance data predict and may be the most common strain for the next influenza season. However, the strains you choose may not match the strains that are actually the most prevalent during the flu season.

When this happens, the effectiveness of the vaccine can be reduced. However, if the strains selected are well matched, the vaccine will be more effective.

Influenza virus subtype

Influenza vaccines protect against two types of influenza viruses. Influenza A And Influenza B..

Influenza A viruses are very diverse and are further subdivided into different subtypes.The two subtypes you may be familiar with H1N1 And H3N2..

Influenza vaccines usually provide excellent protection against influenza B and H1N1. However, the protection against H3N2 strains is weakened. This is due to various genetic changes that can commonly occur with the H3N2 virus.

A 2016 review We examined 142 studies on the efficacy of influenza vaccines by type of influenza. It found it:

• The efficacy of the vaccine against the H3N2 strain was only 33%.
• On the other hand, the efficacy of the vaccine was 54% and 61% for influenza B and H1N1 strains, respectively.
• When the H3N2 vaccine strains matched well, the vaccine efficacy was still only 33%. When the vaccine did not fit well, the efficacy was reduced to 23 percent.

Therefore, if the H3N2 strain is more common than other types of influenza during the flu season, the vaccine may be less effective.

Individual factors

Individual factors such as age and overall health can also affect the effectiveness of the vaccine. For example, older people tend to be less responsive to influenza virus vaccination.

To support this High dose influenza vaccine Available for adults over 65 years old.

Large-scale research A study of vaccine efficacy in this population found that high-dose vaccines were slightly more effective than standard-dose vaccines.

The· Current recommendations In the flu season from 2020 to 2021, all individuals over 6 months Influenza vaccine.. No one type of vaccine is recommended over another.

Influenza vaccination is especially important for people at high risk of serious illness from the flu. This too:

Influenza vaccination and COVID-19

get Influenza vaccine Especially important during COVID19 Pandemic.. There are several reasons for this.

1. The flu vaccine helps prevent you from getting the flu and getting sick. Similar symptoms To COVID-19.
2. The benefits of influenza vaccination will help keep you away from clinics and hospitals and save medical resources for COVID-19 and other people suffering from health conditions.

Generally speaking, the flu vaccine should protect you Throughout the current flu season.. In the next flu season, you will need to get another flu vaccine. There are several reasons why the flu vaccine only works for one season of flu.

First, the influenza virus is constantly changing. For this reason, the strains included in this year’s flu vaccine may not be the most common strains during next year’s flu season.

Second, the level of defense (immunity) produced by the flu vaccine declines over time.

For example 2019 study We found that every 28 days after vaccination, there was a 16% increase in the chances of a positive flu test over the seven seasons of flu.

When is the best time to get vaccinated?

The· CDC Influenza vaccination is recommended End of October Every year. However, vaccination after this can provide valuable protection.

Generally a good rule of thumb to avoid Get vaccinated early, Like July or August. This is because the immunity produced by the vaccine declines over time. Therefore, vaccination too early can increase your risk of getting the flu later in the season.

The flu vaccine helps protect you from getting the flu. It can also reduce the severity of illness. In addition, it helps prevent the influenza virus from spreading widely in the community.

The effectiveness of influenza vaccines varies from year to year due to several factors. Its effectiveness can be affected by the evolution of the virus and the predominant influenza subtypes of a particular year. Individual factors such as your age and overall health can also play a role.

The flu virus is constantly changing and the immunity produced by the flu vaccine declines over time, so you should get a new flu vaccine each year, preferably by the end of October.