Category: Flu Vaccine

Hospitals across Maryland are seeing an increase in patients with respiratory illnesses.Doctors said cases of the flu, COVID-19 and RSV are spiking."Influenza is really increasing, particularly over the last two weeks," Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health virologist Dr. Andy Pekosz said."All of them, you'll often feel very lousy. You'll feel achy, you have a cough, you may have a headache, you might have a scratchy throat. So, they're all very similar in that way," LifeBridge Health Dr. Miriam Alexander said. VACCINE INFO: You can get COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the same time, but should you? Here's what the science says.If you experience any of those symptoms, Alexander said the first step is to figure out what is causing your illness. There are tests for each of the three major viruses as well as antiviral medication to treat the flu and COVID-19."The most urgent thing that people with severe viral infections need is what we call supportive care, which might be oxygen (or) IV fluids, because in general, the antivirals are not magic pills," Alexander said.She said the best ways to prevent getting sick are wearing a mask, washing your hands and getting vaccinated.COVID-19 and flu vaccines are widely available. RSV vaccines are available for pregnant women and people over 60 years old.For kids under two years old, there is a shortage of vaccines.SHORTAGE: An ongoing shortage of the vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus means babies still getting sick. Here's what to do."The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention has tried to put out guidelines to make sure the high-priority groups are the ones targeted to get this, so check with your pediatrician, check with your local pharmacist," Pekosz said.Experts said there are still a few months of the winter virus season to come before things start to ease.Pekosz said if you feel sick, stay home."With both COVID-19, flu and RSV, you can shed the virus and transmit it when you're showing very mild symptoms," he said.Doctors said it's not too late to get vaccinated, but it does take about two weeks for a vaccine to take effect.More videos on RSV:

Hospitals across Maryland are seeing an increase in patients with respiratory illnesses.

Doctors said cases of the flu, COVID-19 and RSV are spiking.

"Influenza is really increasing, particularly over the last two weeks," Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health virologist Dr. Andy Pekosz said.

"All of them, you'll often feel very lousy. You'll feel achy, you have a cough, you may have a headache, you might have a scratchy throat. So, they're all very similar in that way," LifeBridge Health Dr. Miriam Alexander said.

If you experience any of those symptoms, Alexander said the first step is to figure out what is causing your illness. There are tests for each of the three major viruses as well as antiviral medication to treat the flu and COVID-19.

"The most urgent thing that people with severe viral infections need is what we call supportive care, which might be oxygen (or) IV fluids, because in general, the antivirals are not magic pills," Alexander said.

She said the best ways to prevent getting sick are wearing a mask, washing your hands and getting vaccinated.

COVID-19 and flu vaccines are widely available. RSV vaccines are available for pregnant women and people over 60 years old.

For kids under two years old, there is a shortage of vaccines.

"The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention has tried to put out guidelines to make sure the high-priority groups are the ones targeted to get this, so check with your pediatrician, check with your local pharmacist," Pekosz said.

Experts said there are still a few months of the winter virus season to come before things start to ease.

Pekosz said if you feel sick, stay home.

"With both COVID-19, flu and RSV, you can shed the virus and transmit it when you're showing very mild symptoms," he said.

Doctors said it's not too late to get vaccinated, but it does take about two weeks for a vaccine to take effect.

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Maryland hospitals see increase in COVID-19, RSV, flu cases - WBAL TV Baltimore

CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio Ohio's first pediatric death from the flu this season was a 9-year-old girl in Clermont County, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The press release from ODH did not give any further information about the girl, or when she died.

According to ODH, flu season peaks between December and February. In Ohio, that flu activity has increased since early December and the current activity is considered high. Overall, though, flu-related hospitalizations are below the state's five-year average for this time of the year, with over 900 hospitalizations statewide since the start of flu season.

Each year, Ohio usually experiences between one and six flu-associated pediatric deaths, ODH said.

"If you haven't gotten a flu vaccine, now is a good time," said Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA, director of ODH. "We are in the heart of flu season and a vaccine may help prevent you or your loved ones from contracting a serious case of the disease.

Pediatric respiratory viruses have also been on the rise in Ohio, with hospitals seeing a surge in children suffering from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other illnesses even before flu season began.

In Warren County, pediatric pneumonia cases have also been high this year, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

In September, Cincinnati Children's Hospital announced employees are now required to wear masks in the hospital after the increased spread and prevalence of multiple respiratory illnesses, such as RSV, the flu and COVID-19.

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Ohio's first pediatric flu death of season was 9-year-old in Clermont County - WCPO 9 Cincinnati

The Virginia Department of Health on Thursday announced the states first reported influenza-associated pediatric death for the 2023-24 flu season.

The health department said a child between 5 and 12 years old in Virginias eastern region died from complications associated with flu. To protect the familys privacy, VDH will not provide any further information regarding this death, the agency said in a release.

We at the Virginia Department of Health, are broken hearted and extend our sympathies to the family of this child during this difficult time, state Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton said in the release. Even though the flu is common, it can cause serious illness and even death. I urge everyone who is eligible to receive the flu vaccine to do so not only to protect themselves, but to protect those around them.

Virginia reported five influenza-associated deaths among children during the 2022-23 flu season.

VDH recommends taking three actions to prevent the flu.

Influenza activity is elevated and is expected to increase in Virginia as the weather becomes colder.

For the week ending Dec. 23, emergency department and urgent care visits due to flu-like illness are very high (6.9% of total visits), especially among young children and school-aged children (14.7% and 13.2% of visits, respectively).

The 2023-24 flu season in Virginia is anticipated to be in the typical range of severity. However, even typical seasons vary widely and result in illness, hospitalizations and death, the release said.

"Virginia vaccination coverage for flu remains low for children and adults. The percent of eligible Virginians reporting receipt of a flu vaccine this season is only 27%," the VDH said.

Arecent studyestimated that flu vaccination reduced the risk of flu-related emergency department and urgent care visits by almost half and hospitalization by more than a third among U.S. adults during the 2022-23 season, the release said.

To locate a seasonal flu vaccine near you, you can visitwww.vaccinate.virginia.govor contact your local health department. For further information, call (804) 864-8141.

Visit the VDHRespiratory Diseaseswebsite for current data updates and additional information about respiratory diseases in Virginia.

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VDH reports first pediatric flu death of the season - InsideNoVa

FRIDAY, Dec. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers appear to have discovered a new weapon in the war on a particularly difficult foe.

They have identified a previously unrecognized class of antibodies that seem to be capable of neutralizing multiple strains of the flu virus.

Their findings, recently reported in the journal PLOS Biology, could lead to development of a vaccine that protects more broadly against influenza.

Each year, new vaccines are offered based on experts' best guesses about which strains will dominate. Sometimes they guess right, other times, not so much.

"We need annual influenza virus vaccines to keep pace with continuing viral evolution," the authors said in a journal news release. "Our work suggests that the barriers to eliciting more broadly protective immunity may be surprisingly low."

An array of studies are paving the way for vaccines that protect against multiple strains.

Many are focused on antibodies that can protect against flu subtypes known as H1 and H3 at the same time. These come in multiple strains and cause widespread infection.

Led by Holly Simmons of the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine, researchers in this study zeroed in on one target.

They focused on a small change found in some H1 strains in the sequence of building blocks that makes up hemagglutinin, a protein that plays a key role in the early stage of infection.

Some antibodies that neutralize H3 can also neutralize H1, but not if its hemagglutinin has this change, dubbed the 133a insertion, researchers explained.

Using blood samples from patients, they identified a class of antibodies that can neutralize some H3 strains as well as some H1 strains with or without the 133a insertion.

A vaccine coaxes the immune system to make antibodies that can bind to hemagglutinin and stop it from invading a person's cells. Different antibodies bind to parts of hemagglutinin differently, and the virus also changes over time, resulting in new strains that can evade the old antibodies.

Researchers said this work expands the list of antibodies that could possibly contribute to development of a vaccine with broader protection. It also adds to growing evidence supporting changes in how flu vaccines are manufactured, they added.

More information

Learn more about vaccines at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCE: PLOS Biology, news release, Dec. 21, 2023

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Could Antibody Discovery Lead to Better Flu Vaccines? - HealthDay

NORFOLK, Va. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced the state's first reported pediatric death linked to influenza for the 2023-24 flu season.

The VDH said the child was between 5 and 12 years old and was in Virginia's Eastern region, which includes Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore. To protect the family's privacy, the VDH offered no other details about the child's death.

"We at the Virginia Department of Health, are broken-hearted and extend our sympathies to the family of this child during this difficult time," State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton said in a news release on Thursday. "Even though the flu is common, it can cause serious illness and even death. I urge everyone who is eligible to receive the flu vaccine to do so not only to protect themselves, but to protect those around them."

According to the latest data from the VDH, the Commonwealth is seeing very highflu activity. Unsurprisingly, many of the cases they are seeing are sick children. Data shows nearly 15% of patients are 4 years old and younger.

The VDH investigated seven flu outbreaks last week, three of which happened in K-12 schools.

Dr. Elizabeth Broderick told 13News Now that shes seen an increase in flu, strep, and RSV patients in her office at the Childrens Clinic.

In the last, Id say four weeks, for us, flu has really kicked in. And the kids looked so pitiful You can tell they feel terrible," she said.

Dr. Broderick said there are a few easy ways to protect yourself from getting the flu.

First, stay vigilant in washing your hands. She also said if youre going to be in a crowded place, its not a bad idea to mask up, especially if youre high risk.

Dr. Broderick said the best protection is to get the flu vaccine.

To a pediatrician, one childs death is too many. So, were all about prevention. Use your seatbelt, use a car seat, wear a bike helmet, get a flu vaccine every year, she said.

The CDC recommends flu vaccines for everyone six months and older. To find a flu vaccine near you, visit this website and enter your location or contact your local health department.

More information on the flu, RSV, COVID-19, and other respiratory diseases can be found on the VDH's website.

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Virginia Department of Health announces first pediatric flu death of the 2023-24 season - 13newsnow.com WVEC

Good news: This years flu vaccine appears to be particularly effective at preventing severe cases.

Bad news: Only about 40% of Americans eligible for flu shots have received one.

More good news: Theres still time to get protected before the virus peaks in Oklahoma, said Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation physician-scientist Hal Scofield, M.D.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, influenza affects, on average, about 8% of the U.S. population each year. The virus annually kills about 35,000 Americans and sends another 450,000 to the hospital. Young children, people 65 years and older, and those with chronic medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes are at greatest risk of severe disease.

In the Southern Hemisphere, flu season runs about six months ahead of ours, which provides us with a window into the severity and most common strain as well as the effectiveness of the vaccine, said Scofield, who also is associate chief of staff for research at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center.

This year, the vaccine appears to be a great match for the virus, Scofield said. Although complete data isnt available yet, Australian health authorities reported that this years vaccine significantly reduced the risk of ending up in the doctors office from the flu.

According to the CDC, pharmacies and doctors offices had administered about 51 million doses of adult vaccine as of Nov. 25 13% below the same time last year. Similarly, the percentage of U.S. children who had received flu shots through early December was lower than at the same time for the past four years.

A survey conducted in August by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases found 65% agreement among American adults that an annual flu shot is the best prevention, yet 43% didnt plan to get one or were unsure if they would get one this year. Among those in the latter group, 32% cited concern about side effects.

The most common flu vaccine side effects are soreness, redness or swelling at the injection site, and sometimes, low-grade fever.

But, according to OMRF Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., none of this is cause for alarm.

Its your body developing protective immunity, and compared to contracting the flu, its nothing.

James added that many fear getting a flu shot can cause the flu.

The vaccine is made from proteins, not the virus, said James, a member of the National Academy of Medicine and chair of OMRFs Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program. It isnt possible to get the flu from the vaccine.

She noted that the flu vaccine typically reaches full effectiveness in two weeks. As of the first week of December, Oklahoma flu activity is low, but increasing. According to the CDC, flu rates are high in neighboring states of Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado, and rising in Arkansas.

Vaccination is your best defense, along with practicing smart health hygiene, James said. Stay home if you feel ill, wash your hands frequently and cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough.

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Not too late to get a flu shot, OMRF experts say - Theadanews

Its especially important that you get a flu shot if you have cancer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Mayo Clinic recommend a yearly flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older, with rare exceptions. Vaccination is your best defense against flu. If you havent gotten your flu shot yet, nows the time.

For most people, influenza, or the flu, resolves on its own. But sometimes the flu and its complications can be deadly. People at higher risk of developing flu complications include young children, pregnant women and those two weeks postpartum, people over 65, people with weakened immune systems and some chronic illnesses, and people who are obese.

Having cancer, being treated for cancer or being a cancer survivor increase your risk for flu complications. For people at high risk, flu complications can include pneumonia, heart problems and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Pneumonia is one of the most serious complications as it can be deadly for older adults and people with a chronic illness.

What is the flu?

What many people call the flu is actually viral gastroenteritis, or stomach flu, which is characterized by diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramps and pain. Influenza is the true flu. Its a viral infection that attacks your respiratory system, including your nose, throat and lungs.

At first, flu may seem like a common cold, with a runny nose, sneezing and sore throat. But while colds usually develop slowly, flu tends to come on suddenly. And although a cold can be a bother, you usually feel much worse with flu.

How to keep yourself healthy

Unlike the common cold and stomach flu, there is a vaccine for flu. While its not 100% effective, getting vaccinated for flu can reduce your risk of becoming infected with flu, and lessen its severity and lower your risk of hospitalization if you are infected.

In addition to vaccination, its also important to take several measures to reduce the spread of infection, including:

Wash your hands. Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is an effective way to prevent many common infections. Or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers if soap and water arent available.

Avoid touching your face. Specifically, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth to prevent spreading viruses.

Cover your coughs and sneezes. Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow. Then wash your hands.

Clean surfaces. Regularly clean often-touched surfaces to prevent spread of infection from touching a surface with the virus on it and then your face.

Avoid crowds. The flu spreads easily wherever people gather in child care centers, schools, office buildings, auditoriums and public transportation.

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Consumer Health: Flu vaccination and cancer - LimaOhio.com - LimaOhio.com

A one-size-fits-all flu vaccine could be on the horizon after scientists found an antibody that protects against several strains of the virus. The team from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine identified a class of antibodies previously unrecognized that can neutralize different forms of flu.

Flu vaccines are inactivated or weakened viral strains injected into the body to trigger an immune response. This response prepares your body to fight actual flu viruses, potentially preventing or lessening the severity of illness if you encounter them.

At the moment the most dominant strain is predicted and a vaccine is produced to protect against it but the new breakthrough could see an end to that. Antibodies are immune system proteins that protect against disease and a vaccine prompts the immune system to make them.

The antibodies bind to a viral protein called hemagglutinin on the outside of an invading flu virus, blocking it from entering a persons cells. But different antibodies bind to different parts of hemagglutinin which itself evolves over time, leading to new strains that outwit old antibodies. Two flu subtypes known as H1 and H3 come in multiple strains and scientists have been focused on these to produce a universal vaccine.

The current study found that although some antibodies were effective against H1 and H3, they failed if the hemagglutinin is carrying what they call the 133a insertion. The team, writing in the journal PLOS Biology, says they have found the new antibodies that can neutralize H1 and H3 whether they have the 133a insertion or not. They carried out their experiments on blood taken from patients.

We need annual influenza virus vaccines to keep pace with continuing viral evolution. Our work suggests that the barriers to eliciting more broadly protective immunity may be surprisingly low, said Lead author and research assistant Holly Simmons.

Given the right series of influenza virus exposures/vaccinations, it is possible to for humans to mount robust antibody responses that neutralize divergent H1N1 and H3N2 viruses, opening new avenues to design improved vaccines, she added.

This research expands the list of antibodies that could potentially contribute to development of a flu virus that achieves broader protection through an assortment of molecular mechanisms, she continued.

Produced in association with SWNS Talker

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Why A One-size-fits-all Flu Vaccine Could Be On The Horizon - Zenger.News

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- As you're making your lists and checking them twice, you may want to add "get a flu shot."

According to the Centers for Disease Control, cases of the flu are on the rise across the nation and as of Thursday, Fresno County Public Health reported four flu-related deaths with a fifth pending.

The health department and CVS are encouraging everyone over the age of six months to get vaccinated.

"What the vaccines do-they protect against the virus," CVS Health district leader, Bobby Dhaliwal said. "It's going to help your body make an immunity against the virus."

CVS offers Covid-19, flu, RSV and many other vaccinations at their locations-some even free of charge.

"It's really important, especially with the holidays coming, the new year coming, you protect yourself, your loved ones. Think about it right-you're going to have gatherings with grandparents and grandkids. There's a lot of chance of transmission so we want to make sure you stay protected."

CVS patient, Larry Gardener, got his Covid vaccine Friday morning and told action news he and his wife try to stay on top of their vaccinations, especially ahead of holiday travel.

"I think it's a healthy, safe thing to do," Gardener said.

"For the flu, the variant changes every year so there's going to be a new vaccine every year so it's going to help," Dhaliwal said. "It takes anywhere from seven to fourteen days to build that immunity so you want to get it as soon as possible, especially going into the holidays and the New Year."

Even though Christmas is before that seven to fourteen day window, health officials say it is still important to get your flu shot ahead of the new year.

"The key thing to know about the flu is-it's going to go on," Dhaliwal explained. "Flu season is peaking now. It'll peak December to February and sometimes can go as far as May."

On top of getting a flu shot, it's important to wash your hands regularly, cover your mouth while coughing or sneezing and use hand sanitizer.

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Now may be the best time for a flu shot amid a rise in cases nationwide - KFSN-TV

The infants of mothers vaccinated against influenza during pregnancy had a 39% lower risk of flu-related hospitalization than those born to unvaccinated mothers, estimates a study published today in JAMA Pediatrics.

For the test-negative case-control study, the New Vaccine Surveillance Network Collaborators examined the association between maternal flu vaccination and severe disease among 3,764 infants younger than 6 months at seven pediatric care centers in seven states during the 2016-17 through 2019-20 flu seasons.

The researchers noted that flu during pregnancy is tied to severe maternal disease and may be linked to poor birth outcomes such as preterm birth, fetuses small for their gestational age, and miscarriage. Infants aren't eligible for flu vaccination until they are 6 months old.

"Maternal immune responses to influenza vaccine during pregnancy are comparable to those of nonpregnant adults, and the transfer of influenza antibodies, either naturally acquired or vaccine induced, from mother to fetus is highly efficient," they wrote.

Among the 3,764 infants, 53% were born to mothers who received the flu vaccine during pregnancy, including 42% of 223 flu-positive infants and 54% of 3,541 flu-negative controls.

Overall, vaccine effectiveness (VE) of maternal vaccination against flu-related ED visits or hospitalizations in infants was 34%. Maternal flu vaccination was 19% effective against infant ED visits, 39% against infant hospitalization, 25% against influenza A, and 47% against influenza B in infants. By subtype, VE was 39% and 16% against the H1N1 and H3N2 strains, respectively.

VE was 53% among infants younger than 3 months, 52% among those whose mothers were vaccinated in the third trimester, and 17% in those whose mothers were vaccinated in the first or second trimester.

Among 223 infants with flu, 28% had retractions (pulling in between the ribs), and 10% had wheezing in the first 24 hours of life. More than half (56%) of flu-positive infants were hospitalized, 5% required intensive care unit admission, 14% required supplemental oxygen, and 1% required intubation.

"The findings in this study indicate that maternal influenza vaccination during pregnancy provided important protection for the infant in the first few months of life before infants are eligible for vaccination," the study authors wrote.

The World Health Organization and numerous other agencies and associations recommend that pregnant women receive the inactivated flu vaccine.

While continued efforts are needed to determine optimal timing, clinicians should continue to offer influenza vaccination at any time during pregnancy to protect both the pregnant person and infant.

"Despite this recommendation, global maternal influenza vaccine uptake remains suboptimal," the investigators wrote. "In the US, vaccination coverage in pregnant persons during the 2022 to 2023 influenza season was less than 50% and was approximately 5% to 15% lower than in influenza seasons prior to the COVID-19 pandemic."

"While continued efforts are needed to determine optimal timing, clinicians should continue to offer influenza vaccination at any time during pregnancy to protect both the pregnant person and infant," they added.

In a related commentary, Matthew Zuber, MD; April Miller, MD, MPH; and Katherine Poehling, MD, MPH, all of the Wake Forest School of Medicine, said that vaccine registries must expand from children to people of all ages to eliminate gaps in record-keeping and that obstetric and pediatric clinicians need to share effective approaches in their communities to enhance access, confidence, and coverage of vaccines and preventive care.

"Our patients need us to advocate for universal vaccine registries and roll up our sleeves and work collaboratively to optimize maternal and infant health for all," they wrote

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Study: Infants of moms who had flu shot in pregnancy at 39% lower risk of hospitalization - University of Minnesota Twin Cities