Terry Murray
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Universal influenza immunization programs, available in virtually every province and territory, may need to be reconsidered in light of emerging evidence that repeated flu shots may blunt the vaccine’s effectiveness in subsequent seasons.
That phenomenon was seen in the Jan. 29, 2015 interim estimates of the effectiveness of the 2014/15 vaccine against influenza A (H3N2) from Canada’s Sentinel Physician Surveillance Network, headed by Dr. Danuta Skowronski of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control.
The effects of repeat immunizations need to be studied further. Meanwhile, a return to targeted, high-risk flu vaccine programs, rather than universal coverage, seems warranted, said Skowronski, the BC centre’s epidemiology lead for influenza and emerging respiratory pathogens.
At the same time, antivirals — formerly plan B in the primary prevention of influenza — should be used early. “There’s a lot of debate about antivirals and that needs to be resolved also, but for now, [early antiviral use] should come to the fore,” Skowronski said.
The BC network’s estimates of this year’s flu vaccine efficacy, published in Eurosurveillance, were −8% overall and 2% in young… Leer más...
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