Doctors: Vaccinations still best defense against the flu
Landon Hoyle, 5, son of Robb and Alyse Hoyle of Claysville, watches as Tracy Hanos, a nurse at Claysville Famliy Practice, prepares a flu shot in this file photo taken last year.
A sign at the entrance to the Monongahela Valley Hospital lobby advises people not to visit if they are sick.
It’s that time of year again – when you hold your breath around your coughing coworker and take a few steps back from the man sniffling in the elevator.
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this year’s flu vaccine may be less effective against some strains of the influenza virus, area doctors say it remains important to get the shot.
Dr. Lauren O’Brien of Washington Hospital said if a person contracts a strain of the flu not protected by the virus, the sickness will probably be shorter and less severe.
Monongahela Valley Hospital infectious disease Director David Weber explained the virus mutation this year represents an antigenic drift.
“The genetic makeup of the flu viruses will change somewhat from year to year, which makes the vaccine less effective if it changes enough,” he said.
The antigenic drift represents a slight change, whereas an antigenic shift means the proteins changed completely.
When this occurs, the vaccines are even less effective.
He said the last time an antigenic shift occurred was during the H1N1, or swine flu, outbreak in 2009.
“That was something that nobody really expected,” he said. “The antigens were ones we had seen before, but they changed pretty dramatically from what people were expecting.”
Kathy Liberatore, the hospital’s infection prevention and control manager, said the hospital treated 35 cases of flu to date. Twelve of those patients were hospitalized. Five patients came to the hospital for flu treatment Monday, and two of those were hospitalized.
By the end of December last year, the hospital treated 72 flu cases.
However, a second strain of the flu virus does not typically start until later in the flu season. Seven of the 35 cases to date were caused by the second strain.
Because cases shifts to less common strains further into flu season, vaccinations are more important, O’Brien said.
“Later in the flu season, that strain might be covered,” she said.
Dr. Stephanie Sussman stressed the importance of vaccinating children. She is a pediatrician with Washington Health System’s Pediatric and Adolescent Care-Waterdam.
It is still the beginning of flu season, which lasts roughly from October to March.
“It’s definitely not too late to get them started,” she said.
She said children older than 6 months should get flu shots, but they might need two shots the first time they are vaccinated.
For children 2 and older, nasal spray vaccinations are available.
“It’s not a shot, so they appreciate that alternative,” she said.
She said children younger than 2, those with asthma or those born prematurely are especially susceptible to flu complications.
“In general, if you’re worried about your child, I’d say go ahead and give your doctor a call,” she said.
If the child with the flu is lethargic, or has trouble breathing or urinating, they need to see a doctor.
O’Brien said anyone with sore muscles, a fever 101 degrees or higher, runny nose, cough and fatigue should call his or her doctor to discuss symptoms.
“We try to manage a lot of the cases on the phone to reduce the spread of influenza,” she said.
Weber said the spread and severity of flu season will largely be determined by flu shots.
“I think a lot of it is going to depend on how many people come to get vaccinated,” he said.
He said he is “definitely concerned” people will risk not being vaccinated because of the report that it will be less effective.
“Vaccination is really the only proven way to reduce both the severity and mortality of influenza,” he said. “It’s very important that people get vaccinated, because it does save lives.”