With flu season further threatening an already challenging year due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control is recommending that everyone ages six months and up receive a flu vaccine.
“While it’s not possible to say with certainty what will happen in the fall and winter, CDC believes it’s likely that flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both be spreading. In this context, getting a flu vaccine will be more important than ever,” according to the CDC’s website.
To understand the science behind flu vaccines and how it helps minimize infections, SGU News spoke with St. George’s University President Dr. G. Richard Olds, an expert in infectious diseases.
St. George’s University: What are the benefits of getting a flu vaccine?
Dr. Olds: Most of the time the flu vaccine prevents you from getting the flu, and even if it doesn’t, it makes your flu illness less severe and shorter in duration.
SGU: Who should get a flu shot?
Dr. Olds: Everyone should get a flu shot every year. There is almost no downside to getting one, and it clearly helps lessen the severity of the flu. In addition, it keeps us from transmitting flu to vulnerable older adults who are at higher risk from the flu. Thus, the vaccine protects you as well as society.
Importantly, all healthcare professionals are required to get it, so they don’t bring the flu to elderly patients and those with altered immune systems.
SGU: Why is getting a flu shot even more important this year, given the global pandemic?
Dr. Olds: Since COVID-19 symptoms are very similar to flu symptoms—at least in the beginning—getting a flu shot is helpful in avoiding confusion if you develop respiratory symptoms or a fever. It’s important to note that a person can be infected with both flu and COVID at the same time, and it is likely that this double infection will be far worse that either alone.
SGU: How does the vaccine work? Why do some people get “sick” after getting the vaccine?
Dr. Olds: Flu vaccines come in several types. There is a live weakened viral vaccine used primarily for children; there is the killed vaccine, used for many years, primarily for young adults through age 65; and a new high potency vaccine designed for those over 65.
Contrary to popular belief, adults and seniors can’t get the flu from the flu shot given to them. Because we give the flu shot during the fall/winter when many respiratory viruses are around, people often get infected with a non-flu virus around the time they get the flu shot and blame the vaccine for their illness.
That said, children are given a live weakened vaccine that sometimes causes a very mild flu illness. When the child recovers their immune system is ready to fight off the real flu.
SGU: How effective is the flu vaccine?
Dr. Olds: Unlike tetanus shorts or Measles vaccines, the flu virus vaccine must change slightly from year to year in order to work. That’s because the target—the flu virus—mutates rapidly. As a result, the vaccine has to be reformulated every year to match the specific flu virus we expect each flu season. Most years we do a good job of “guessing” what exact flu viruses we will face each fall, but some years the virus mutates in an unpredictable way and the vaccine is not as effective. Even with a mismatch, the vaccine reduces the severity of the illness. Fortunately, we also have antivirals like Tamiflu that we can use to fight flu if a vaccinated person gets infected.
The real problem is that too few people get the vaccine, so the virus circulates effectively and eventually finds the vulnerable members of our society. Very few people would die of flu each year if everyone got a flu shot.
SGU: Can you speak to the speed at which a flu vaccine is created?
Dr. Olds: The entire process takes about four months. Scientists decide what strains they think will circulate in the fall around March and April of each year. Flu shots are usually a combination of three or four specific flu virus strains. Then they have to grow each strain in eggs, harvest the virus, and then formulate the year’s new vaccine. Flu shots first appear in the market in late August or early September.
Since the vaccine is only good for one year (because the virus changes each year), manufacturers try to produce about the same amount of vaccine used the previous year. As a result, if demand going way up, such as this year, we could run out of vaccines before the flu season is over.
Kwa kuwa msimu wa mafua unahatarisha zaidi mwaka ambao tayari ni changamoto kwa sababu ya janga la COVID-19, Vituo vya Udhibiti wa Magonjwa vinapendekeza kwamba kila mtu mwenye umri wa miezi sita na zaidi apate chanjo ya mafua. Ingawa haiwezekani kusema kwa uhakika nini kitatokea katika vuli na majira ya baridi kali, CDC inaamini ni uwezekano kwamba virusi vya mafua na virusi vinavyosababisha COVID-19 vyote vitakuwa vikipita. Katika muktadha huu, kupata chanjo ya mafua itakuwa muhimu zaidi kuliko hapo awali, kulingana na tovuti ya CDC. Ili kuelewa sayansi ya chanjo ya mafua na jinsi inavyoweza kupunguza maambukizi, SGU News ilizungumza na Rais wa Chuo Kikuu cha St. George, Dk G. Richard Olds, mtaalam wa magonjwa ya kuambukiza. Chuo Kikuu cha St. George: Kuna faida gani za kupata chanjo ya mafua? """Kwa kawaida chanjo ya mafua hukuzuia kupata mafua, na hata ikiwa haifanyi hivyo, hufanya ugonjwa wako wa mafua kuwa mbaya zaidi na wa muda mfupi zaidi." "S: ""Ni nani anayepaswa kupigwa chanjo ya mafua?""" Dr. Olds: Kila mtu anapaswa kupigwa chanjo ya mafua kila mwaka. Hakuna madhara yoyote ya kupata moja, na ni wazi husaidia kupunguza ukali wa mafua. Pia, inatuzuia tusisambaze homa kwa watu wazima walio na hatari ya kuambukizwa homa. Kwa hiyo, chanjo hiyo inakulinda wewe na pia jamii. Muhimu, wataalamu wote wa huduma za afya wanahitajika kuipata, kwa hivyo hawawaleti homa kwa wagonjwa wazee na wale walio na mifumo ya kinga iliyobadilishwa. Kwa nini chanjo ya mafua ni muhimu zaidi mwaka huu, ikizingatiwa janga la ulimwengu? Kwa kuwa dalili za COVID-19 zinafanana sana na dalili za mafua, angalau mwanzoni, kupata chanjo ya mafua ni muhimu katika kuepuka kuchanganyikiwa ikiwa utapata dalili za kupumua au homa. Ni muhimu kutambua kwamba mtu anaweza kuambukizwa na homa na COVID wakati huo huo, na inawezekana kwamba maambukizi haya mawili yatakuwa mabaya zaidi kuliko moja kwa moja. SHAHIDI: Vaccin inafanyaje kazi? Kwa nini watu fulani hupata "ugonjwa" baada ya kupigwa chanjo? Olds: Chanjo za mafua zinapatikana katika aina kadhaa. Kuna chanjo ya virusi hai iliyopunguzwa nguvu inayotumiwa hasa kwa watoto; kuna chanjo iliyokufa, inayotumiwa kwa miaka mingi, hasa kwa watu wazima vijana hadi umri wa miaka 65; na chanjo mpya yenye nguvu iliyoundwa kwa wale zaidi ya miaka 65. Kinyume na imani ya kawaida, watu wazima na wazee hawawezi kupata mafua kutokana na chanjo ya mafua iliyopewa. Kwa sababu tunatoa chanjo ya mafua wakati wa vuli au majira ya baridi kali wakati virusi vingi vya kupumua vinapatikana, watu mara nyingi huambukizwa virusi visivyo vya mafua wakati wanapopata chanjo ya mafua na kulaumu chanjo kwa ugonjwa wao. Kwa mfano, watoto wanaweza kupatiwa chanjo ya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi vya virusi. Wakati mtoto anapopata afya yake, mfumo wake wa kinga unakuwa tayari kupambana na homa halisi. SHAHIDI: Je, chanjo ya mafua ina athari gani? "Dr. Olds alisema: ""Tofauti na chanjo za tetanasi au chanjo za surua, chanjo ya virusi vya mafua lazima ibadilike kidogo kutoka mwaka mmoja hadi mwingine ili iweze kufanya kazi." Hiyo ni kwa sababu shabaha - virusi vya mafua - hubadilika haraka. Kwa sababu hiyo, chanjo hiyo inapaswa kubadilishwa kila mwaka ili ifanane na virusi vya mafua ambavyo tunatarajia kila msimu wa mafua. Katika miaka mingi tunafanya kazi nzuri ya <unk> kudhani <unk> ni virusi gani halisi vya mafua tutakazo kukabili kila kuanguka, lakini miaka mingine virusi hubadilika kwa njia isiyotabirika na chanjo haifanyi kazi. Hata ikiwa hakuna mtu anayepaswa kupewa chanjo hiyo, chanjo hiyo hupunguza uzito wa ugonjwa huo. Kwa bahati nzuri, kuna dawa za kupambana na virusi kama vile Tamiflu ambazo tunaweza kutumia kupambana na homa ikiwa mtu aliyepatiwa chanjo ataambukizwa. Tatizo ni kwamba ni watu wachache sana wanaopokea chanjo, hivyo virusi vinaenea kwa ufanisi na hatimaye hupata wanachama walio hatarini wa jamii yetu. Watu wachache sana wangekufa kutokana na mafua kila mwaka ikiwa kila mtu angepokea chanjo ya mafua. "S: ""Ninaweza kusema kwamba ni kwa njia gani dawa ya virusi vya mafua inapatikana?" Dr. Olds: Utaratibu wote huchukua miezi minne hivi. Wanasayansi huamua ni aina gani za mimea wanafikiri itazunguka katika majira ya kupukutika kwa majani karibu Machi na Aprili kila mwaka. Kwa kawaida chanjo ya mafua ni mchanganyiko wa aina tatu au nne za virusi vya mafua. Kisha wanahitaji kukuza kila aina katika mayai, kuvuna virusi, na kisha kutengeneza chanjo mpya ya mwaka. Chanjo za mafua huanza kutolewa mwishoni mwa Agosti au mwanzoni mwa Septemba. Kwa kuwa chanjo hiyo ni nzuri kwa mwaka mmoja tu (kwa sababu virusi hubadilika kila mwaka), watengenezaji hujaribu kutengeneza kiasi sawa cha chanjo iliyotumiwa mwaka uliopita. Kama matokeo, ikiwa mahitaji yataongezeka, kama mwaka huu, tunaweza kukomesha chanjo kabla ya msimu wa mafua kumalizika.