Get vaccinated against the flu, reducing the risk of death

Last year was a bad year for the vaccine against the flu. Hospitalizations for influenza peaked at nine, and prevent the vaccine against influenza in only 23% of all beneficiaries, against 50% and 60% of recipients of previous years.

Why vaccine against influenza, but in some winters and other works? The vaccine against influenza prepares the immune system to attack two proteins on the surface of the influenza virus, hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). 

Different strains of influenza have different combinations of these proteins - for example, specific strains for vaccines against H3N2 and H1N1 recent are.Unfortunately, the flu virus is the response of microbiology Miley Cyrus can change in one year enough to be completely unrecognizable.

H and N proteins are genetic chameleons undergoing constant transformation. This process is called antigenic drift, and baffles regularly vaccine manufacturers, public health experts, and your immune system.

The development of new vaccines against influenza 
Most vaccines against influenza in the United States is made from chicken eggs, using production methods that date back to 1945. This heavy technique requires 6-8 months of waiting time to produce enough vaccine for the next flu season. Each February, the World Health Organization and the Food and Administration (FDA) do their best guess on which flu strains should be covered by the vaccine for next winter, according to a review of the circulating viruses flu more than 100 countries. But a lot can change in eight months, especially with the flu. Last year, the "drift" of the H3N2 flu strain does not match the vaccine strain, which explains the poor performance of the vaccine.

Researchers can build a better vaccine against the flu? You probably already have. The FDA has approved two alternatives to traditional egg-based vaccines. One of them, Flucelvax uses influenza virus grown in kidney cells originally obtained from a single cocker in 1958. The other, FluBlok, it is put by encouraging pumping insect cell large amounts of hemagglutinin, which is then purified and used in the vaccine. These methods may sound crazy, but appear to be safe and effective.

These new vaccines have several advantages:

They are safe for patients allergic to eggs. Like most vaccines against influenza is made from eggs, many people allergic to eggs can not be vaccinated against traditional flu.

They require a massive injection of hen eggs, and still could be made, even if a bird flu epidemic ended chicken farms.

They need less time to make egg-based vaccines, ie, vaccine production could quickly escalated into a pandemic influenza. This can also give the FDA more time to make your decision on which flu strains should go into the vaccine, which reduces the risk of inadequacy with the vaccine against the flu last year.

Scientists are also working on a universal vaccine against influenza, which might not be necessary to change each year. This vaccine exploits the fact that the M protein has two parts: a header area which is the part that is changing rapidly, and a stem region, the latter is more or less retained. Vaccine studies using small stem pieces have shown promising results in animals. Start test these vaccines in humans.

How the vaccine against influenza reduces the risk 
The CDC recommends that all US adults receive a vaccine against the flu every year. Although the current vaccine is not perfect, there are many good reasons for you to get it. The vaccine reduces the risk of contracting influenza, particularly as it coincides well with the dominant strains of flu.

The benefits of vaccination against the flu is particularly impressive in the elderly. If you are 65 or older, the risk of death is reduced by 48%. One reason for this risk is lower than the flu increases your risk of developing bacterial pneumonia, which is responsible for many hospitalizations and deaths. But these are not the only reason.

Inflammation is bad for your body and increases the risk of heart attack or stroke. If you've already had the flu all the way, and you remember how fever, aches, and I felt miserable, you know that the flu is very good for your body fill with inflammation. So, as expected, another benefit of the vaccine against influenza is that it reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Most adults, including myself, receive the vaccine against influenza from chicken eggs. If you have an allergy to eggs, you should get Flucelvak or FluBlok place. If you are between the ages of 2 and 49 years old, you are eligible for the intranasal vaccine, which is inhaled rather than injected.  

Because this vaccine contains a live virus, should be avoided if you are pregnant, have a weakness, or are close to other people whose immune system weak immune systems. The intranasal vaccine can also cause wheezing, so you should avoid if you have asthma.
By: John Ross, MD, FIDSA,