this year’s flu season Already alarm is rising among public health officials and infectious disease experts.
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has issued an “SOS” warning amid growing concerns that this winter could be the worst wave of influenza in recent memory, according to the BBC.
“This year’s flu season is going to be unusually bad,” Dr. Jacob Granville, CEO of San Francisco biotech company Sentivax, told Fox News Digital. “The UK is being hit faster and harder, with the number of infections triple compared to last year.”
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In the United States, early indicators point in the same direction.
“There are signs of early influenza activity in some parts of the country,” said Dr. Ravi Jhaveri, professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. vaccination rate It has continued to decline since the pandemic.
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This combination could make future seasons difficult, experts told Fox News Digital. This is especially true now that the H3N2 virus appears to be on the rise, which may be linked to a decline in the effectiveness of influenza vaccines.
“On the other hand, vaccines contain strains that are many years old,” Granville warned. “They contain a mixture of 2021, 2022 and 2023 strains, which means the flu shot is virus. ”
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The doctor said the current strain also has a history of causing more severe illness and higher hospitalization rates. Meanwhile, the virus continues to mutate, making it harder for the immune system to recognize it.
“Influenza viruses are constantly mutating in small amounts to evade our immune systems,” Jhaveri noted, noting that this is the main reason new vaccines are developed every year.
The virus appears to be spreading faster this year than usual, but researchers aren’t entirely sure why.
Jhaveri noted that flu season can vary from season to season, but that may now be changing. respiratory virus Interact.
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“Previously, influenza outbreaks began after the peak of the RSV epidemic,” he said. “The availability of more prophylactic options for RSV may have changed the overall pattern of respiratory viruses.”
Glanville stressed that while vaccination is still recommended, protection is “partial at best and worse than usual.”
Your immunity to influenza may also be lower this year. As Jhaveri pointed out, immunity “increases after vaccination and natural infection,” but decreases over time, especially if: senior citizen.
Still, he said, based on Australian data, “we think the vaccine should provide a normal level of protection.”
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People at high risk should be especially careful, including people with chronic illnesses, weakened immune systems, obesity, pregnant women, and young children.
“About half children dying from influenza And there are no prior risk factors for influenza-related complications,” Jhaveri said, emphasizing that vaccination remains “the first step in influenza prevention.”
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For people who are hesitant to go to the clinic, Jhaveri noted that nasal spray vaccines have recently been approved for self-administration or administration by parents or caregivers, allowing family members to vaccinate at home.
Granville’s company, Sentivax, is “developing a universal influenza vaccine and will enter human trials in early 2026,” he added.
