You may be wondering why you should get the flu vaccine every year and how effective it is in preventing serious illness. The vaccine helps protect the most vulnerable people from getting serious illness or being hospitalized, and we strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated against flu as soon as possible. Vaccines are still our best defense.
Every winter, influenza viruses sweep through communities, causing seasonal epidemics. there is Several flu vaccines are used in national immunization programs. And all protect against the three main types of flu viruses: Influenza A (H1N1), Influenza A (H3N2), and Influenza B.
What is H3N2 and what is driftwood?
Within these major virus types, the flu viruses circulating in the UK and around the world are constantly evolving in a process known as antigenic drift. That’s why the strains selected for seasonal flu vaccines are updated each season. that We’re trying to predict which strains should be used to make next season’s vaccine.
Sometimes flu viruses continue to evolve even after the vaccine strain has been selected and the vaccine has been manufactured. This means that it is no longer as similar to the vaccine strain as we would like. This is what happened to one of the viruses (the ‘drift’ H3N2 subtype) included in the vaccines used in the Northern Hemisphere this season.
How do you respond to drifting variants?
Even when variants have emerged in the past, vaccines have generally provided protection against severe disease caused by affected variants, with only slightly reduced effectiveness. The UK flu program uses a range of technologically advanced vaccines to provide optimal protection, including against strains recommended by Public Health England, guided by annual assessments by UKHSA and partner public health agencies. Joint Committee on Immunization and Immunization (JCVI). And each vaccine also provides protection against the other two strains recommended by WHO.
Think of getting the flu vaccine like preparing for a winter trip. You never know exactly what kind of weather you will face or when, so pack layers to protect against rain, snow, and wind. Likewise, the flu vaccine offers different layers of protection against each flu type, trying to provide the broadest possible protection throughout the winter.
Can the current flu vaccine prevent H3N2?
Given concerns about the A(H3N2) variant circulating this season, UKHSA quickly assessed how effective the vaccine is by studying whether vaccinated people are less likely to go to hospital with influenza. According to our analysis This season’s vaccine offers effective protection against severe flu – When vaccinated, children are approximately 70-75% less likely to go to the hospital or hospitalized with the flu, and adults are approximately 30-40% less likely to be hospitalized or hospitalized with the flu. This is similar to what we see most years with the flu vaccine and continues to prove that the flu vaccine remains the best protection against the flu. We strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to get a flu vaccine as soon as possible.
UKHSA will continue to monitor this variant through laboratory analysis of the virus, routine surveillance of the health burden of influenza, and epidemiological studies of vaccine effectiveness. And we will continue to monitor whether other flu strains become more common as the winter progresses.
Find out if you’re eligible for the flu vaccine and book your appointment here.
