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Flu vaccine may not work; 'severe' season expected

Jen Rini
The News Journal
  • There have been seven hospitalizations so far this flu season in Delaware.
  • Of the 168 confirmed flu cases%2C Division of Public Health officials estimate that about 85 were caused by H3N2.

With word that this year's flu vaccine won't protect people from one of the strains out there, Delaware health officials are urging everyone to take extra precautions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday a mutated form of the H3N2 virus has been reported in almost all states, and the flu vaccine on the market does not prevent it from spreading.

"We are concerned it could be a more severe flu season," said Dr. Marci Drees, infection prevention officer and hospital epidemiologist for Christiana Care Health System. "You would still want to try to vaccinate everybody even though we know the vaccine is not a perfect match. It's the best preventative thing we have."

There have been seven hospitalizations so far this flu season in Delaware. Of the 168 confirmed flu cases, Division of Public Health officials estimate that about 85 were caused by H3N2. They aren't sure Friday whether the hospitalizations were related to the mutated strain.

This year's vaccine protects against at least three flu strains: influenza b, H1N1 and H3N2. Drees explained that that the mutated or "drifted" H3N2 strain is genetically different from the form used for the vaccine. It is more infectious and more likely to cause increased hospitalizations and deaths.

"We know that that drifted strain is circulating in Delaware," Drees said.

H3N2 viruses, in general, are riskier among the elderly, young children, pregnant women, people with asthma and other breathing problems, and people with compromised immune systems. But it acts no differently than the common flu, she said. A H3N2 patient will still have headache, body ache, coughing and runny nose.

The flu vaccine given each fall is actually created in February of that year, a good seven months before the influenza season starts. Scientists watch infection rates in other places to help choose which strains to include in the vaccine, but sometimes a strain becomes more prevalent than they expect.

The last time a flu vaccine missed the mark was in 2009, when the swine flu epidemic tore across the states. Health officials had to create a completely new vaccine in order to curb the H1N1 swine flu strain.

"It's always kind of a guessing game. It's not a quick process," Drees said.

Even with the CDC warning, you should still get your flu shot if you haven't already, said Dr. Awe Madukah-Ezeh, medical director for the state's public health division. It takes two weeks for the immunity to take effect.

"The vaccine you got will give some degrees of protection," Madukah-Ezeh said. "When you get your flu shot, you are immediately getting protection against three different virus strains. It's still the best protection we have."

Although there's no mutated H3N2 vaccine, there are two anti-viral medications – Tamiflu and Relenza – that people can take to reduce symptoms such as fever and body aches, as well as any risk of hospitalization.

Tamiflu and Relenza can be prescribed by primary care doctors and are usually covered by most insurance plans, Drees said. They must be taken in the first day or so of infection to be the most effective.

State officials have been encouraging the health provider community to recommend that the elderly, pregnant women and those with immuno-compromised systems take the medication in addition to their flu shot, Madukah-Ezeh added.

If your health provider offers you a nasal spray vaccine instead of the shot, take it, she said.

There's been some recent research that shows the nasal spray can protect more effectively against H3N2. However, that nasal spray is not as effective in preventing the H1N1 virus in children, Madukah-Ezeh said, so it is important to weigh your options.

People should buy and use hand sanitizer, frequently wash hands and cough into their sleeves.

And stay home when you're sick, she said.

Jen Rini can be reached at (302)324-2386 or jrini@delawareonline.com. Follow @JenRini on Twitter.