Wasn’t H3N2 in this and at least last year’s flu shots?
SHHHH!
The deadly flu epidemic sweeping the US is still spreading — here's everything you need to know
H3N2 doesn't culture well on egg medium (You can look it up if you want the exact reason) the virus that grows on egg doesn't express the right markers for our immune system to pick up or expresses them in a diminished way. So even when they include it in the vaccine (which they didn't this year) the immunity is much less than for other strains.
The newer Flublok (tm) vaccine is a recombinant vaccine and the quadrivalent form has the H3N2 in it. The problem is it is only available in select Pharmacies and you have to specifically ask for it. You also have to pay for it. Up to $250 in some cases depending on insurance. There was also a recent NEJM article (recent as in the last 3 months) that indicates the vaccine provides better protection in general than the regular vaccine (don't quote me on this it's been a while since I read the article). I believe they looked at groups getting each vaccine and less people in the new vaccine group had a vaccine failure than those in the old group. If anyone is that interested in it email me and I will find the article and post a link.
A strain of H3N2 is included every year in the flu shot, along with a strain of H1N1 and either the Victoria or the Yamagata type of influenza B. The newer quadrivalent shots contain both influenza B types.
I am not sure why "they" are saying that the flu is particularly bad this year because it is an H3N2 strain. The 2009 pandemic that killed hundreds of thousands was H1N1, as was the 1918 pandemic that killed tens of millions. Two other pandemics in the 20th century were caused by H2N2 and H3N2.
Excerpted
Health officials say this year’s correctly shot targets the strains that are making Americans sick, including one causing most of the illness, a Type A H3N2 flu virus. But exactly well it is working won’t be known until next month.
The same virus was the dominant flu bug last winter, when the flu season wasn’t so bad. It’s not clear why this season — led by the same bug — is so much more intense, some experts said.
“That’s the kicker. This virus really doesn’t look that different from what we saw last year,” said Richard Webby, a flu researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
It may be that many of the people getting sick this year managed to avoid infection last year. Or there may be some degree of mutation in the virus that hasn’t been detected yet, said the CDC’s Dr. Dan Jernigan, in a call with reporters Friday.
Based on patterns from past seasons, it’s likely flu season will start to wane soon, experts say. There are some places, like California, where flu season already seems to be easing, CDC officials said.
Associated Press via