As youโve 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 yearโs flu vaccine isnโt a good match for the flu virus thatโs circulating.
Well, thatโs partly right and partly uncertain.
Hereโs whatโs certain: The CDC has extensively tested 305 flu isolates sent to them since October 1.
But thatโs a small subset of over 28,000 positive influenza samples collected across all 50 states.ย One-third of those cases are a good match for this yearโs 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 wonโtย cause drug resistance amongย other viruses because they act very specifically against influenza viruses. The drugs are highly selective for an enzyme in flu virus thatโs not shared by otherย 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”
