As you’ve likely heard by now, the 2014-2015 influenza season is on a fast pace, now defined as a pandemic in the U.S. as 6.8% of deaths are due to the pneumonia and influenza infection.
But some people are shouting that the this year’s flu vaccine isn’t a good match for the flu virus that’s circulating.
Well, that’s partly right and partly uncertain.
Here’s what’s certain: The CDC has extensively tested 305 flu isolates sent to them since October 1.
But that’s a small subset of over 28,000 positive influenza samples collected across all 50 states. One-third of those cases are a good match for this year’s vaccine.
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Can overuse of anti-influenza virus drugs cause drug resistance in other viruses, perhaps the rhinoviruses that cause most cases of the common cold?
It turns out that drugs like Tamiflu or Relenza won’t cause drug resistance among other viruses because they act very specifically against influenza viruses. The drugs are highly selective for an enzyme in flu virus that’s not shared by other viruses. (In contrast, many antibiotics are just general antibacterial, blocking general processes like protein synthesis that are shared by all bacterial types.)
Read full, original article: Get Your Flu Shot Anyway, Despite Genetic “Drift”
