United States: October is the time of the year that is considered ideal for having a flu vaccination in order to protect oneself from the worst of the respiratory season.
As per the expert’s report, this year’s shot might be less effective in preventing severe disease than last year.
More about the news
The data from the Southern Hemisphere shows that flu season generally starts in April and lasts until September. The data suggests that in the current year, flu vaccination offers 34 percent more efficacy against hospitalization than last year’s 50 percent.
In general, however, data based on hospitalizations from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay, to some extent, show that people who were vaccinated for flu had a substantially lower risk of being admitted to the hospital from a severe respiratory disease if they had received the flu shot, seattletimes.com reported.
The annual flu vaccine covers three strains associated with seasonal flu, and researchers make a best guess months before the start of the flu season.
Preparations for the flu vaccine take about six months for its makers, who are the pharmaceutical companies, to complete.
If only they could concoct a combination, they think that it would be harmonious with the circulating strains. Sometimes, scientists are closer to the truth than in other years.
The question for debate is whether or not the same influenza viruses will be more active during the flu season within the United States between 2024 and 2025 as they are in the Southern Hemisphere.
What more are experts stating?
According to Dr. Bharvarth Shukla, an associate professor of infectious diseases at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, “We know this is what happened in the Southern Hemisphere during their flu season, but patterns there don’t always predict how the season will unfold in the United States,” seattletimes.com reported.
“A reduction of 34% in hospitalization is still good, especially for people who are very vulnerable,” Shukla continued.
“Also,” Shukla mentioned, “there are a lot of caveats in the study that are important to consider. The age of the primary patient population in Brazil was much younger than ours in Florida.”
Moreover, there are some countries like Chile and Ecuador that have high levels of flu this season.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, anyone above the age of six months should get a flu vaccine each year. A high dose inactivated vaccine is recommended for persons sixty-five years of age and above.
Shukla recommends looking at the big picture when making vaccine decisions: Why does your routine involve those people, or does it not intentionally involve people who are immunocompromised or otherwise particularly vulnerable?
“Take everything into context and talk to your doctor,” he stated as advice.