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Should FLUAD Vaccination Recommended For Seniors Be Repeated After A Year?
Question: Hello Dr. Rynne. I and was just checking whether my FLUAD 2017-2018m which I received August 10, 2017, was indicated for the 65 and up population. Do you think in light of the current situation I should get another vaccination with the same? Thank you!
Brief Answer:
Information
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
I don't think you need another vaccination and here are my reasons:
1. If you got the Flu - AD in August, you should still be covered by it for what it is effective for.
2. Flu vaccines are not particularly effective against the strain H3N2, and that is the strain that is causing about 80% of flu cases this season.
There are a couple of reasons why H3N2 seems to be particularly resistant to the flu shot. H3N2 mutates as it moves through the population at a faster rate than other flu viruses — making it even harder to design a vaccine that can fend off the circulating virus. It’s also more difficult to grow H3N2 in eggs, where viruses for flu vaccines are produced and the process of growing them in eggs seems to introduce further changes to the virus whiich may impair the effectiveness of the vaccine.
The most effective thing you can do right now is to NOT touch your eyes or nose with your hands unless you have just thoroughly washed your hands and touched nothing else in between, not even the faucet, which you can turn off with a tissue or the back of your hand (providing you don't use the back of your hand to rub your eyes with!).
Some people think "I wash my hands a lot" will work. It does not, because if you then touch something contaminated and then touch your eyes or nose, you have inoculated yourself.
Alcohol wiping items you use outside of your house, such as a cell phone, when you come home, is helpful also, to decrease the viral load that can get transferred to your eyes or nose with your fingers.
I have my family (and myself) wash our hands as soon as we come in the house - with regular soap and water.
Avoiding close proximity with people who are sick is wise too.
I hope this answers your question.
Information
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
I don't think you need another vaccination and here are my reasons:
1. If you got the Flu - AD in August, you should still be covered by it for what it is effective for.
2. Flu vaccines are not particularly effective against the strain H3N2, and that is the strain that is causing about 80% of flu cases this season.
There are a couple of reasons why H3N2 seems to be particularly resistant to the flu shot. H3N2 mutates as it moves through the population at a faster rate than other flu viruses — making it even harder to design a vaccine that can fend off the circulating virus. It’s also more difficult to grow H3N2 in eggs, where viruses for flu vaccines are produced and the process of growing them in eggs seems to introduce further changes to the virus whiich may impair the effectiveness of the vaccine.
The most effective thing you can do right now is to NOT touch your eyes or nose with your hands unless you have just thoroughly washed your hands and touched nothing else in between, not even the faucet, which you can turn off with a tissue or the back of your hand (providing you don't use the back of your hand to rub your eyes with!).
Some people think "I wash my hands a lot" will work. It does not, because if you then touch something contaminated and then touch your eyes or nose, you have inoculated yourself.
Alcohol wiping items you use outside of your house, such as a cell phone, when you come home, is helpful also, to decrease the viral load that can get transferred to your eyes or nose with your fingers.
I have my family (and myself) wash our hands as soon as we come in the house - with regular soap and water.
Avoiding close proximity with people who are sick is wise too.
I hope this answers your question.
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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