Category: Flu Vaccine

An RNA-based vaccine approach that is effective against all virus strains and safe for infants and immunocompromised individuals.

Whether its the annual flu shot or the COVID-19 boosters, vaccines against viruses require constant tweaking and a bit of luck. Every year scientists estimate which influenza strains to include in the annual shot and COVID-19 is constantly monitored for new strains.

A new strategy toward a universal vaccine, which activates an ancient pathway of the immune system, could finally put an end to the chasing and guess work.

All vaccines work by stimulating the human immune system, but rather than pre-expose the immune system to a specific viral strain, the new shot is based on a piece of a viruss genome common to all strains. It is broadly applicable to any number of viruses, broadly effective against any variant of a virus, and safe for a broad spectrum of people, explained UC-Riverside virologist Rong Hai in a press release regarding a new universal vaccine.

Their strategy differs from traditional vaccines in that it doesnt use inactive viral proteins that provoke immune cells known as T-cells and create memory B-cells that recognize that specific protein in future infections.

Instead, the team is targeting another defense mechanism called short interfering RNAs or RNAi. A host a person, a mouse, anyone infected will produce small interfering RNAs as an immune response to viral infection. These RNAi then [inactivate the virus genes], said Shouwei Ding, lead author of the paper. This controls the copying of viral DNA or RNA, stopping the virus from assembling new particles to further the infection.

Unfortuntaly, many viruses produce proteins to counter this defence. However, in the current study, when the team mutated a virus to eliminate this counterattack, the weakened virus could behave as a vaccine, stimulating and boosting the hosts RNAi response.

To test the effectiveness, mice without T or B cells were given one injection of the new vaccine against a test virus called the Nodamura virus. The single jab protected the mice from a lethal dose of the virus for up to 90 days.

Targeting the RNAi system has the added potential benefit of working in a broader range of individuals. Newborns and immunocompromised people, who generally have underdeveloped or dysfunctional immune systems, also make RNAis, meaning the vaccine could protect groups who cannot receive traditional vaccines, which typically rely on a fully functional immune system to work.

When tested with newborn mice, the vaccine was again effective. Thats why our next step is to use this same concept to generate a flu vaccine, so infants can be protected, said Ding.

According to Hai, viruses will likely have a hard time adapting to these vaccine, meaning updated boosters will be a thing of the past. Viruses may mutate in regions not targeted by traditional vaccines, he said. However, we are targeting their whole genome with thousands of small RNAs. They cannot escape this.

The team is working on a nasal spray delviery system to make it easier to adminster, and they believe the same strategy could work against several viruses with no current vaccines, such as dengue or SARS. This should be applicable to these viruses in an easy transfer of knowledge, said Ding.

Reference: Gang Chen, et al., Live-attenuated virus vaccine defective in RNAi suppression induces rapid protection in neonatal and adult mice lacking mature B and T cells, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321170121

Feature image credit: Mathurin NAPOLY / matnapo on Unsplash

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A universal vaccine could eliminate the need to track evolving strains - Advanced Science News

Geneva (Precision Vaccinations News)

Over the past few years, significant media attention has been paid to detecting avian influenza (bird flu). While the overall human health risk is being evaluated, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently sharedclarifying data points.

During 2020, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b viruses arose from previously circulating influenza A(H5Nx) viruses. They spread predominantly via migratory birds to many parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe.

In late 2021, these bird flu viruses crossed to North America and, in late 2022, to South America.

According to the WHOstatement on April 26, 2024, the epizootic has led to unprecedented deaths in wild birds, domestic poultry, and various mammals such as bears.

The WHO has confirmed that relatively few human infections have been reported despite the high number of A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b detections.

Since the beginning of 2021, 28 A(H5N1) detections in humans have been reported to the WHO.

Of the 28 human cases,all were sporadic infections in people exposed to A(H5N1) viruses through direct or indirect contact with infected birds, infected mammals, or contaminated environments, such as live poultry markets or other premises with infected animals.

Specifically, no human-to-human transmission has been reported in these cases.

However, active investigations are continuingto determine whether there is any.

Most A(H5N1) human cases reported in Europe and North America were asymptomatic or mild, with fatigue reported for the cases detected in the U.S.

On April 1, 2024, the Texas Department of State Health Servicesreported the first confirmed human case ofA(H5N1) virus in Texas. This person successfully recovered.

Based on available information, the WHO currently assesses the overall public health risk posed by A(H5N1) to be low. For those exposed to infected birds or animals or contaminated environments, the risk of infection is considered low to moderate.

Furthermore, investigations are ongoing to understand the risk to humans from consuming milk contaminated with the A(H5N1) virus. According to the WHO, dangerous zoonotic pathogens can be transmitted through unpasteurized milk.

As investigations continue in the U.S. and elsewhere, more information regarding 'contaminated cow milk' will be available in the coming days and weeks.

Historically, the U.S. CDChas advised against consuming un-cooked birds and mammals infected with avian influenza viruses.

The good news is that the U.S. FDA has already approved one bird flu vaccine (Audenz).

Asof April 28, 2024, the government has invested hundreds of millions in additional avian influenza vaccine candidate production. In late 2023, about 32 million bird flu vaccines were available in the U.S. National Strategic Stockpile.

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Consuming Unpasteurized Bird Flu Contaminated Cow Milk Discouraged - Precision Vaccinations

Alexandria, MN (56308) Today

Partly cloudy this morning. Increasing clouds with periods of showers this afternoon. High 59F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Periods of rain. Low 43F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.

Updated: May 3, 2024 @ 11:28 am

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Launching an effective bird flu vaccine quickly could be tough, scientists warn - Voice Of Alexandria

In the first half of 2023, COVID-19 killed 42,670 people in the United States, while the flu killed about half that amount. Yet half as many people received the updated COVID booster as those who got the flu shoteven though COVID is twice as deadly as influenza.

In all, around 22% of people have received the new COVID booster, while 47% of people have had a flu vaccine. Experts said much of that COVID-shot resistance is due to the continued polarizing nature of the pandemic and of the COVID vaccine, which has been shown to reduce the risk for long COVID as well as serious acute viral infections and deaths.

"COVID shots are controversial and polarizing, whereas flu shots (for the most part) are not. The decision to get or not get a flu shot is made calmly," said Peter M. Sandman, PhD, an expert in risk communication who writes about COVID risks and our responses to them. Head over to Medscape to read the full story.

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Flu vs COVID: Stark Disparity in Vaccination and Deaths - Vision Monday

Alberta recorded the highest number of influenza deaths in 15 years, and some people are attributing the death toll to a decline in yearly immunization rates.

According to data from the provinces respiratory virus dashboard, 15,215 cases of lab-confirmed influenza cases were recorded this respiratory virus season, which started last fall. Currently, 42 people are in hospital and three people are in the intensive care unit because of the virus.

So far, 167 influenza deaths have been recorded so far during the 2023-24 flu season. One death was recorded from April 14 to April 20, according to data.

Many of the people who died were between 60 and 89 years of age.

Recent wastewater data in Alberta shows that influenza B cases have continued to rise since April 11 in the Calgary North, Calgary South and Calgary Far South regions.

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Craig Jenne, a microbiology immunology and infectious diseases professor at the University of Calgary, said the previous record was 110 deaths.

This comes as the influenza vaccination rate has declined across Alberta since the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Around 28 per cent of Albertans were vaccinated against influenza during the 2022-23 respiratory virus season, compared with 27 per cent during the 2021-22 season, 37 per cent during the 2020-21 season and 33 per cent during the 2019-20 season.

This unfortunately is the highest number of deaths since weve been recording fatalities here in Alberta, particularly during the years when we offered a public vaccine campaign, Jenne said. This is not higher by one or two cases. We are seeing a fairly dramatic increase in the lives lost due to influenza in the province unfortunately this year.

Jenne said the increase in population across Alberta is a factor, but the numbers are still concerning.

Even if were comparing to just last year or the year before, these numbers are dramatically higher. In fact, theyre about 50 per cent above the previous record, and the Calgary population has not grown 50 per cent in the last few years. It is a concerning increase in the loss of life here, he said.

Jenne said it is not uncommon to see a rise in influenza cases at this time because the respiratory virus season usually ends at the end of April.

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However, he said the Alberta government should have been more efficient in getting influenza vaccines out. He also said the province needs to try and raise the vaccination rate.

We have effective tools. The influenza vaccine is an effective tool to prevent serious outcomes and death, and it is an effective tool if there is a broad uptake, Jenne said.

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Weve heard people say that theyre young and they dont need a flu shot, but the reality is they still transmit the flu to other people, and those people are the vehicle that gives flu access to at-risk Albertans.

In an emailed statement late Monday morning, Opposition health critic Dr. Luanne Metz said the death toll is devastating, but not entirely surprising.

Metz said the reason behind the surge in deaths is that many Albertans are not getting their flu shot.

The UCP undermined vaccine awareness by tampering with Alberta Health Services fall influenza campaign last year. Sadly, were now seeing the effects of this governments ideological games when it comes to peoples health, the statement read.

Metz also accused the United Conservative government of politicizing the flu shot last year. Documents obtained by theGlobe and Mail showed the Alberta government directed Alberta Health Services to remove the words influenza and COVID from advertisements for the provinces fall immunization campaign at the same time doctors were sounding alarm bells about increasing pressure on public health teams and hospitals.

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To make matters worse, we know the ideological games are far from over. Danielle Smiths decision to appoint Gary Davidson, a doctor who disputed trusted COVID-19 hospitalization data, to lead a review of the pandemic reflects an ongoing pattern within the UCP of prioritizing fringe views over expert guidance, which deeply undermines public health efforts.

This government needs to stop evading its responsibilities and start taking public health seriously. Vaccinations save lives and improve outcomes for Albertans. The UCPs failure to comprehend this is harming Albertans.

Global News has reached out to Albertas Ministry of Health with a request for comment.

With files from Jennifer Ivanov, Global News.

2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Albertas flu death toll highest in 15 years as vaccine uptake declines - Global News

Medical scientists are getting closer to developing a universal flu vaccine, which could work on future mutations of the virus.

Research from the Doherty Institute has identified new fragments of the influenza B virus that our immune system can attack, and could be used in the development of a long lasting vaccine.

The discovery comes as existing flu vaccination rates are significantly down on last year.

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Universal flu vaccine breakthrough - ABC News

Current influenza vaccines have to be reformulated every flu season because strains of the virus are constantly mutating. It can also be challenging to predict which strains are likely to dominate each winter.

An annual flu vaccine is recommended for all Australians aged over six months. Shutterstock

In a study published in Nature Communications on Tuesday, a team of scientists headed by Doherty Institute researchers outline their discovery of nine viral fragments of influenza B that unlike other parts of the virus do not change.

This brings the number of these discoveries to 27, offering a wider set of promising targets for a potential universal vaccine, the scientists say.

Identification of those viral fragments that are unchanged in the viruss history brings us a step closer to a broadly protective vaccine, said Professor Katherine Kedzierska, head of the Doherty Institutes Human T Cell Laboratory.

Identification of such conserved (unchanged) regions is obviously the holy grail the universal vaccine potentially would not require annual reformulation or annual vaccination, although occasional boosts might be needed.

The researchers were excited to discover that the nine viral fragments provoked a strong immune response from killer T cells, a type of immune cell that can kill cancer cells and cells infected with a virus.

They recognise small fragments of the virus, which remain unchanged throughout the viruses history, said Tejas Menon, the co-first author on the paper.

Thats why killer T cells are like ninjas of our immune response. They kill cells infected with the virus, but then after that they form immunological memory, so when the new virus emerges, even if its a mutated viral variant, those features can still be recognised and allow killer T cells to combat the next infection.

Influenza B is particularly dangerous in the young, killing and hospitalising Australian children in 2023 after cases surged part way through the season.

So far in 2024 in Australia, influenza A has accounted for most flu notifications.

There were 33,325 cases reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System between January 1 and April 7, a figure higher than in many preceding years. This could be partly to do with increased testing.

Thirty-one flu deaths have been reported.

David Tscharke, a professor of virology and immunology at the Australian National University, described the new research as a first step in the development of a universal influenza B vaccine.

Theyre not going to go back into the lab and make a vaccine thats going to come out next year or the year after, but I guess this is the proof of principle.

Tscharke also said killer T cells might only be part of the answer. He said that unlike the current generation of seasonal vaccines, which are good at stimulating antibodies in the blood and can stop the flu from taking hold, killer T cells didnt provide the same immediate protection.

What they are going to do is help your body deal with that infection more effectively, so were really talking about a vaccine that may protect from severe disease. Its not going to be a vaccine that stops infections.

An annual influenza vaccination is recommended for every Australian aged over six months, and free vaccines are available for children aged six months to five years, pregnant women, people aged 65 and over, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those with certain medical conditions.

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As Australias flu season kicks off, scientists make a breakthrough - Sydney Morning Herald

Calgary

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Alberta is emerging from its deadliest flu season in 15 years.

Provincial data shows167 people died of influenza during the 2023-24 flu season, eclipsing all other seasons dating back to 2009.

This season's death toll more than tripled the 2018-19 seasontotal and nearly doubled the prior year. Last season, which was the previous high, saw 123 influenza deaths.

The influenza death rate (the number of deaths for every 100,000 people) is also the worst in years.

"That is genuinely a very high death toll in a flu season. It really does stick out compared to other years," said Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Alberta.

Severe cases started surging very early and vaccine uptake was sluggish from the start, she said.

"We had a combination of a really aggressive influenza season start and then kind of a relatively slow start to vaccine uptake, including in the highest-risk group, which are those who are over 75. So I think that was some really bad timing."

The main driver of this season was H1N1, a type of influenza A, that can hit young and middle-agedadults hard but ultimately remains mostdeadly for older people, according to Saxinger.

"Coupled with the fact that most people didn't get influenza vaccination as much as usual over the pandemic period, I think that people's immune systems were a little bit caught unawares by the H1N1 strain that was coming through. It is in all the vaccines," she said.

Alberta Health said a variety of factors can influence the severity of an influenza season, including the dominant strain.

It also said flu death surveillance has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Now all deaths that occur within 60 days of a lab-confirmed influenza case are followed up in a systematic way.

Public healthalso began tracking community deaths, in addition to hospitaldeaths, during the 2020-21 season. However community deaths account for a small proportion of the totals between five and seven deaths in each of the last three seasons.

Flu death data prior to 2009 is not publicly available and does not appear to have been tracked in the same way.

Alberta's respiratory virus dashboard shows25.1 per cent of Albertans received their flu shot this season, the lowest vaccination ratein the last decade.

"That is our single best tool at preventing loss of life and preventing hospitalizations. And it's clearly a tool we did not use to its maximum capacity this year," said Craig Jenne, a professor in the department of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases at the U of C.

"As a result we see unfortunately a record loss of life in the province."

This death toll, according to Jenne, should serve as a wake-up call for Alberta.

"I think it's data we're going to have to take a good hard look at once the flu season is over and figure out how we can better prepare ourselves or avoid this scenario in the coming seasons," he said.

"Part of that may be a hard look at our influenza campaign. We do know that flu shot numbers were down this year compared to really the last decade or more."

According to Saxinger, that preparation should includegetting shots in arms earlier.

"This was really going up very aggressively in October, and we didn't even have vaccine supply when things were really starting to warm up," she said.

"We have to make sure the whole system is primed to deploy vaccines as quickly as they're available, and really try to focus on the outreach to high-risk groups and try to start socializing the idea about the fall flu shot again."

Alberta Health said that, while overall vaccination rates have declined in recent years, immunization coverage for seniors,who have a higher risk of severe illness and death,remained relatively stable.

Provincialdata shows 59.4 per cent of Albertansage 65 and olderreceived their flu shotthis season.

Albertans over the age of 60 accounted for 131 of the 167 deaths this season.

Two children, between the ages of one and nine, also died.

Jennifer Lee is a CBC News reporter based in Calgary. She worked at CBC Toronto, Saskatoon and Regina before landing in Calgary in 2002. If you have a health or human interest story to share, let her know. Jennifer.Lee@cbc.ca

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Alberta's flu death toll hits 15-year high, sparking calls for better immunization outreach - CBC.ca

The duration [of the flu season] would be prolonged when there is a transition of the dominating virus strain, the centre said. It is believed that the current influenza season will persist for a period of time and more outbreaks and severe cases might be recorded in the upcoming weeks.

While the city entered the current flu season in early January this year, the extension meant that it would last longer than the average flu period of eight to 12 weeks.

Dr Mike Kwan Yat-wah, an honorary associate professor at the University of Hong Kongs department of paediatrics and adolescent medicine, said a relatively low vaccination rate could give rise to alternating flu strains.

He said about 50 per cent of the citys population had been inoculated with the latest seasonal flu vaccine.

If we need to build an immunity barrier to prevent infections of alternating viruses, an overall vaccination rate would need to reach 70 to 80 per cent to do so, Kwan said.

He added that as the city experienced a peak of H1 infections starting from March last year, the immunity against the virus subtype would decline roughly six months later, suggesting that people could also be more susceptible to the strain.

When the populations immunity is low, the flu season could be longer we could see a majority of people getting infected before the transmission stops, he said.

Kwan added there was no significant difference in terms of transmissibility or virulence between H1 and H3.

Hong Kong, global experts to work on longer-lasting flu vaccines, Post learns

Professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, an infectious disease expert from the same university, pointed out it was quite common to have two different flu virus strains in one season, especially when community immunity was low after Covid-19.

He said the low immunity was caused by a lack of thorough flu infections in the community during Covid-19 pandemic, together with the low flu vaccination rate.

Health authorities said Hong Kong underwent a 16-week winter flu season in 2015-16 after the dominance of flu A virus was overtaken by flu B later.

The six-year-old girl died this week after having contracted the H1 subtype virus and developing encephalopathy, also known as altered brain function.

The girl had a history of good health and had received a flu vaccine for this season, authorities said.

The news came just five days after the announcement of the death of an unvaccinated eight-year-old girl, who had also caught the H1 strain.

Girl, 6, in critical condition after contracting flu in Hong Kong

Kwan explained that a person could still develop complications following a flu jab under certain conditions, such as undiagnosed congenital immunodeficiency or metabolic disorders, a severe flu infection or another bacterial infection.

Health authorities said there had already been a significant increase in the number of flu-like outbreaks at schools and institutions in the week ending April 20 compared with the first week of the month, rising from 10 to 29.

The [centre] appealed again to members of the public to heighten their vigilance, and people belonging to high-risk priority groups should receive seasonal influenza vaccination as soon as possible for prevention of severe disease and death.

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Low herd immunity in Hong Kong may prolong flu season, experts warn - South China Morning Post

Chalk it up to shot sickness, or maybe just an inflated sense of immunity.

Either way, fewer Rhode Island adults rolled up their sleeves for a flu shot this year, though the state remains a national leader in its influenza vaccination rate, Rhode Island Department of Health Deputy Director Seema Dixit told state lawmakers during a budget presentation Tuesday night.

Just over one-third of Rhode Island adults ages 20 and older got a flu shot during the 2023-2024 season, which began in mid-September, according to RIDOH data. By comparison, 64% of Rhode Island adults got flu shots during both the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons, according to data with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thats higher than the national rate, which ranged from 37.1% in the 2017-2018 season to a peak of 50.2% during the 2020-2021 flu season.

Two months ago, a commentary published in the scientific journal Vaccine named Rhode Island as a model in flu vaccination. The February piece by a pair of Virginia-based researchers touted Rhode Islands ranking as the state with the highest flu vaccine rate from 2017 through 2022. During that five-year period, state officials helped boost adoption of flu shots through Medicaid expansion, a 2020 mandate requiring health care facilities to offer flu shots to employees, and the states Health Equity Zone program, which made flu shots more readily available to underserved neighborhoods through school and community-based clinics, according to the article.

Those measures remain in place with higher vaccination rates among health care workers and older adults than the average population. Indeed, residents 65 and older were the only demographic whose flu shot rate increased slightly in the last year, up to 55% for this season, according to RIDOH data. Three-quarters of health care workers across all facilities were vaccinated during the 2022-2023 season; more recent data on this group was not available.

Dixit appeared unfazed by the drop in vaccine uptake, explaining to lawmakers Tuesday that Rhode Island continues to see higher vaccination rates, with fewer flu-related doctors visits and deaths compared with the region and nation.

There is a vaccine fatigue we have noted, Dixit said. Could we do more? Possibly, yes. I cant really pinpoint what we didnt end up doing.

Dr. Michael Fine, former state health director who now serves as board chair and president for a national advocacy group called Primary Care for All Americans, agreed with Dixits assessment.

We dont know if our actions lead to boosting vaccination rates, Fine said in an interview on Wednesday.

Not that it wasnt worth trying to improve. Fine specifically named outreach by primary care physicians as an effective way to gain public trust and participation in vaccines, including the flu shot.

Nationally, the CDC has reported fewer flu vaccines given out in medical offices and pharmacies; the 60 million doses distributed as of Jan. 13 represents an 11% drop over the 2019-2020 flu season, considered a benchmark because it was the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic. State-specific data through the end of the 2023-2024 flu season was not available.

Primary or urgent care offices and pharmacies were the most popular options for Rhode Islanders to get their flu shot this year, chosen by roughly 45% apiece. White, non-Hispanic residents also had a higher flu vaccination rate, just over 40%, compared with 29% of Black residents and 27% of Hispanic or Latino residents.

The latest COVID-19 booster was given to 17% of Rhode Island adults as of April 23, while 15% of residents 60 and older have received the RSV vaccine this year.

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Flu shot fatigue: influenza vaccination rates in R.I. continue to fall post-pandemic Rhode Island Current - Rhode Island Current