Research: Flu shot didn’t help fight main strain

[Praxius]

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/1050436.html

TORONTO (CP) — This year’s flu shot offered moderate protection against one type of influenza virus circulating in North America, but no protection against the main strain that has been afflicting Canadians in the tail end of the flu season, new research suggests.

An interim look of the efficacy of this year’s flu vaccine showed it had zero impact on the main strain of influenza B viruses circulating this winter, called B/Florida-like viruses.

In recent weeks influenza B cases have been on the upswing in parts of Canada. In fact, while the influenza A subtype H1N1 was the predominant strain earlier in the flu season, a recent surge in flu B infections means those viruses are on the verge of overtaking H1N1 as the main source of flu illness in the country this year.

Flu vaccine, which has to be reformulated every year because the viruses mutate constantly, is made to protect against three strains of flu: the influenza A subtypes H1N1 and H3N2 and one type of influenza B virus.

Experts gather at the World Health Organization months in advance of flu season to make best guesses about which virus families within each of those three types are likely to be the major causes of disease the following winter. When they gathered in February 2007 to make choices for the 2007-2008 flu shot, they missed the mark for both the H3N2 and influenza B viruses.

"The vaccine this year was not a perfect match — certainly not for the B and perhaps not so for the H3N2," said Dr. Andrew Simor, an infectious diseases expert at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

 

[karrie]

I was always a skeptic about the true need of the flu shot. But boy, this year has been highly illustrative of the state our hospitals and clinics would be in if it didn't exist. Miss the main strain (much like forecasting the weather wrong really), and all hell breaks loose.

 

[Praxius]

You know, this has probably been the 6th year or so in a row I haven't caught the flu. I think I had a mild cold here and there, but overall nothing to put me in a bed for a week, etc.

The last shots I had were 11 years ago.

 

[karrie]

You know, this has probably been the 6th year or so in a row I haven't caught the flu. I think I had a mild cold here and there, but overall nothing to put me in a bed for a week, etc.

The last shots I had were 11 years ago.

You're not exactly in a high risk group though Prax.

You don't have kids yet, you don't have a compromised immune system. I'm not sure what kind of work you do, but, considering how much time you have for the forum I'll guess it's not a public service job (and that's an observation, not a jab).

 

[jenn]

since it is hit and miss as to what strain of flu will showup as to what strains are in the shot.. my doctor has not pressured me getting a shot. They did when the shot first came out.. I am in a high risk group from my job as well as my health is at risk...

 

[Praxius]

You're not exactly in a high risk group though Prax.

You don't have kids yet, you don't have a compromised immune system. I'm not sure what kind of work you do, but, considering how much time you have for the forum I'll guess it's not a public service job (and that's an observation, not a jab).

meh, I wasn't trying to say I'm some perfect example of not needing them, I was just throwing it out there for statistical purposes if anyone is keeping track for a hobby.... just speaking the truth based on my own experiences, people can take it for what they want.

My job consists of expressing corporate advertisements and media propaganda for marketing purposes against unsuspecting citizens in my area. I am a messenger of corporate marketing and feeding superficial desires into people as they walk or drive throughout the city, everyday of their lives.

Makes me proud sometimes.

However, I am dealing with clients usually on an everyday basis, I get the bus full of other people day in and day out, whom are all sick most of the time and pretty well any other typical social experience most encounter on a daily basis.

So I'm not locked away in my own cave or something. I just type and operate on a computer quite fast.... as well as multitask well on a system while waiting for it to do several other things I set it to do. While it seems I am on here all the time, the explorer window is usually just hiding in the background for whatever given time, then between a project or on break, or to pace the day, I'll throw a comment here and there..... go back to work, finish it back up again later, etc..... then post.

I type about as fast as I can think of the words, and I use a lot of shortcuts throughout the day for just about everything, so my time spent on most things isn't all that much overall.

As an example, when I was in photography, after a few months working there, I eventually cut their production time for retouching and package development from around 20 mins each to about 7 mins each.