[vetvetdoug]

Thanks for the information. I understood that one could have immunity for the three strains that the vaccine contained AND the strain of the flu one first encountered in one's life. This is considering the doctrine of original antigenic sin and the body's immune response to the Orthomyxo viruses. Has there been a strain of Orthomyxo virus Influenza infecting the general public within the last 25 years that could confer immunogenicity against the current Fujian strain? Even if there has been a significant shift is it possible that there is an older strain that could be a drift from the current Fujian strain?

[torstars]

Fujian has quite a few mutations. If you look hard enough, you can find them in other sequenced strains, but they go from some fairly recent mutations to those that stopped circulating some time ago, to those found primarily in animals (ducks and pigs).

Fujian is clearly something worth avoiding.

[torstars]

Flu Victim Explains His Story
Dec. 10, 2003

Variant or drifting strains of influenza are still popping up in people even though they've had flu shots. One man, hospitalized at LDS Hospital, had a flu shot in September but the bug still took him down. Ed Yeates is there live with more on the story.

Like many others who've been getting sick, the gentleman here at LDS Hospital is considered a high risk patient. David Morrison is missing a third of his left lung from lung cancer, something he fought off more than a year ago, even though he's never smoked in his life. So at high risk for respiratory infections, David got his flu shot in September. He was scheduled for a second booster shot this month. But it didn't come soon enough.

http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=39&sid=63455

[TaxRelief]

The kid in NC who died apparently had impetigo before catching the flu. The impetigo blew up out of control and settled into his lungs when his immune system was compromised by the flu.

[torstars]

Yesterday, 2,921 people received flu shots at an Oakland clinic that the Health Department set up to manage the huge demand. Cole said only 1,000 doses will be given today at the clinic, 3333 Forbes Ave., Oakland, and he expects the clinic to run out.