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<keyword id="10059823" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="seasonal-influenza-vaccine-development">Seasonal influenza vaccine development</keyword> and mass production may lead to future efforts targeted at developing and evaluating <keyword id="10059824" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="vaccine-strategies">vaccine strategies</keyword> for Covid-19, say researchers.<br /><br />In the study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the research team evaluated whether existing <keyword id="10059822" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="flu-trial-networks">flu trial networks</keyword> could offer primary and secondary prevention strategies for patients with <keyword id="20924" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="cardiovascular-disease">cardiovascular disease</keyword> at risk of complications from Covid-19.<br /><br /><keyword id="2555741" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="The-World-Health-Organisation">The World Health Organisation</keyword> (WHO) estimates that influenza kills as many as 6,50,000 people every year globally, citing influenza as a top 10 leading cause of death among people of all ages, especially those with one or more comorbidities like cardiovascular disease.<br /><br />Furthermore, seasonal influenza epidemics have been associated with population-level increases in cardiovascular hospitalisation and mortality.<br /><br />For these reasons, clinical guidelines recommend the general population receive their flu vaccination annually to reduce the risk of <keyword id="5006783" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="influenza-like-illness">influenza-like illness</keyword>, with high-risk individuals the most urged to get vaccinated.<br /><br />Research has shown that viral respiratory infections such as seasonal influenza and Covid-19 are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.<br /><br />Patients with cardiovascular disease are also at a higher risk of complications following viral respiratory infections, including increased morbidity, mortality and health care utilization.<br /><br />Current data suggests influenza infection and the novel coronavirus share similar symptoms at the outset, primarily fever, cough and shortness of breath. However, Covid-19 appears to be more contagious than the flu.<br /><br />"Although Covid-19 and other respiratory virus infections are associated with acute myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular events, influenza has the best evidence of a safe <keyword id="24209" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="vaccine">vaccine</keyword> option for cardiovascular risk reduction to date," said study author Jacob A. Udell from the University of Toronto in Canada.<br /><br />Several observational and small, randomized studies have suggested that influenza vaccination may serve as a preventative measure against adverse cardiovascular outcomes.<br /><br />However, despite international guidelines recommending routine influenza and pneumococcal vaccination for patients with cardiovascular disease, uptake is substantially lacking and often deprioritised, including at the time of cardiovascular hospitalisation.<br /><br />There are currently three international cardiovascular outcome trials examining the cardioprotective effects of different influenza vaccine formulations, according to the team. <br /><br />"Three large ongoing influenza vaccine cardiovascular outcome trials have an opportunity to contribute further to our understanding of the underlying comorbidities in these patients that may be driving morbidity and mortality associated with Covid-19 infection," Udell said.<br /><br />"While developing new vaccines, we will also definitively learn soon whether influenza vaccination is an effective, low-cost, widely available therapy that reduces cardiovascular risk, which may further help prevent fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular complications of Covid-19," Udell noted.<br /><br />--IANS<br /><br />bu/dpb

Influenza vaccine may provide roadmap to prevent Covid-19: Study

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:348px"><div class="image"></div><p class="source"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WPADoctorNursePatientNOLA.jpg">Wikimedia Commons </a></p></div>The Center for Disease Control is the <keyword id="43544" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Flu">flu</keyword>-monitoring powerhouse of the federal government, with an army of statisticians working around the clock during flu season to stave off a pandemic. </p>
<p>In order to monitor the impact that microscopic virus has on a population of 300 million, the CDC has built a vast network of more than 2,700 outpatient health care providers.</p>
<p>The U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet) reports statistical information about more than 30 million patient visits every year.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/pdf/overview.pdf">Here's how it works.</a> Every week, around 1,800 of the 2,700 ILINet participants report data to the CDC about the percent of patients seen with influenza-like illness symptoms.</p>
<p>Anytime someone comes in with a 100 degree fever and a cough or sore throat without a known cause, that's one person marked with influenza like illness symptoms. </p>
<p>The national baseline is 2.2 percent of patients reporting influenza-like illness symptoms every week. The baseline is derived by calculating the mean percentage of patient visits for flu-like symptoms during non-influenza weeks for the preceding three seasons and adding two standard deviations. </p>
<p>Regional baselines are also calculated. These range from a baseline as low as 1.4 percent in the upper northwest region to a baseline as high as 3.5 percent in the southwest region.</p>
<p>The way the CDC determines flu severity depends on the difference between the reported percentage of influenza-like symptoms in a given week compared to the national or regional baseline. </p>
<p>Here's where the <keyword id="6357038" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Math">math</keyword> comes in.</p>
<p><table class="image-container float_right" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"></div><p class="source"><a href="http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=7+standard+deviations+above+mean">Wolfram Alpha</a></p><p class="caption">To the right, 4-6 standard deviations is a moderate flu risk.  Higher than 6 standard deviations is high.</p></td></tr></table>Every week, the CDC calculates the number of standard deviations away from the mean the reported percentages for each region are.</p>
<p><span>So for the southwest region, the CDC calculates severity based on how many standard deviations higher the reported percentage is from the 3.5 percent baseline. </span></p>
<p><strong>The ten flu "activity levels" correspond to the number of standard deviations above or below the mean the current week compared to the baseline.</strong>  </p>
<p>Here's how they translate standard deviations to English:</p>
<ul>
<li>Values lower than 2 standard deviations above the mean are classified as "minimal"</li>
<li>Values that are between 2 and 4 standard deviations above the mean are "low"</li>
<li>Values that are between 4 and 6 standard deviations above the mean are "moderate"</li>
<li>Values that are between 6 and 9 standard deviations above the mean are "high"</li>
</ul>
<p><table class="image-container float_right" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"></div><p class="source"><a href="http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1.645+standard+deviations">Wolfram ALpha</a></p><p class="caption">1.645 standard deviations above a mean of 0 on a normal distribution</p></td></tr></table></p>
<p>Now, here's where mortality comes into play. The CDC also receives data from 122 cities reporting the total number of death certificates processed and the number of those that listed pneumonia and influenza as a contributing or underlying cause. </p>
<p>These number of deaths are compared to a seasonal baseline and also an "epidemic threshold value" calculated for each week. </p>
<p>The baseline comes from a regression of data from the previous five years. </p>
<p>The "epidemic threshold" is an increase of 1.645 standard deviations above that baseline, when the proportion of deaths from the flu are significantly higher than expected at that time in the absence of widespread flu mortality. </p>
<p><strong>We just passed the epidemic threshold for 2013</strong>. This sort of thing is exactly why if someone hasn't recieved a flu shot, they need to get one now. The epidemic threshold for this week was 7.2 percent of deaths being the result of the flu. <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/01/11/us-usa-flu-idUKBRE9080WD20130111">We're at 7.3 percent.</a> </p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/pdf/overview.pdf">Read more about the CDC methods here. </a></strong></p>
<p> </p>

Here's The Calculation The CDC Used To Determine That This Year's Flu Is The Worst In A Long Time

An <keyword id="6364396" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="icmr" source="Orion">ICMR</keyword> survey has shown that 50 per cent of the respiratory infection cases admitted to hospitals in over two month are of H3N2 influenza, the government told the Lok Sabha on Friday. A total of 1,161 cases of H3N2, which is a subtype of seasonal influenza virus, have been reported between January 1 and March 20, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply. <br /><br />She said most of these cases showed symptoms of cough and fever. <br /><br />The minister said H3N2 is a viral respiratory infection and antibiotics have no role in its treatment. <br /><br />However, she added, sometimes in a respiratory infection a bacterial infection may also occur and therefore physicians may prescribe an antibiotic to take care of the secondary bacterial infection. <br /><br />According to the data shared by her, Delhi (370) reported the highest number of H3N2 cases followed by <keyword id="13126" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="maharashtra" source="Orion">Maharashtra</keyword> (184), <keyword id="6355588" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rajasthan" source="Orion">Rajasthan</keyword> (180) and Karnataka (134). <br /><br />Pawar said the <keyword id="46535" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="health-ministry" source="Orion">Health Ministry</keyword> is monitoring the situation and taking steps to support states and UTs in management of influenza cases, including H3N2, which include issuing an advisory for closely following the trend of influenza-like illness (ILI) or severe acute respiratory infection (<keyword id="1511" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sari" source="Orion">SARI</keyword>). <br /><br />The ministry has asked states and UTs to monitor the proportion of SARI cases among all infection cases and refer sufficient number of samples for testing for influenza, SARS-CoV-2 etc.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/hal-reliance-industries-it-stocks-in-focus-on-friday/articleshow/98957519.cms">Sensex buckles under selling pressure in metal, realty and PSU bank stocks</a><br /></strong><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/walmart-lays-off-hundreds-of-employees-to-prepare-for-the-future/articleshow/98971218.cms"><strong>Walmart lays off hundreds of employees to 'prepare for the future'</strong></a><br />

Half of respiratory infection cases admitted to hospitals in 2 months are of H3N2 says govt

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A lot of people are sick in the US right now with fevers, coughs, and sore throats.</li><li>Flu and cold season has arrived early — and it's caught people by surprise.</li></ul><p>It's the most wonderful time of the year ... to be a respiratory disease.</p><p>"The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flu-season-different-in-cities-versus-towns-2018-10">cold weather</a>, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-avoid-cold-flu-this-winter-at-work-2018-10">gathering indoors</a>, all of that is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-avoid-the-flu-2018-2">good for respiratory viruses</a>, and bad for symptoms," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said during a media briefing on Monday, stressing that multiple <a href="https://www.insider.com/cold-flu-remedies-that-work-doctor-approved-2022-11">respiratory illnesses</a> are here early this holiday season, challenging <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-kids-are-sick-rsv-flu-flooding-ers-2022-11">overstretched hospitals</a> across the country. </p><p>Flu cases and hospitalizations have soared since Thanksgiving, but some people are complaining that they're testing negative for the flu, RSV, COVID, while still extremely sick.</p><p>Writer Cora Harrington <a href="https://twitter.com/lingerie_addict/status/1594756478644133890?s=46&amp;t=U1NZ1cs6cI37ZW7nvggQIg">said on Twitter</a> that she got some "weird as hell virus" that made her "basically unconscious for a couple days," calling it "one of the strangest illnesses I've ever had."</p><p>General practitioner Stephanie de Giorgio from <a href="https://twitter.com/DrSdeG/status/1597971643267416066">the UK</a> said, similarly, that some kind of "not-flu, not-covid, not-RSV thing" was going around her workplace, and "felt bloody awful," prompting a fever and sore throat. </p><p>Doctors from <a href="https://twitter.com/DrTobyGilbert/status/1598113393130737664">at least three continents</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DrSdeG/status/1597971643267416066"></a>say that <a href="https://www.insider.com/flu-season-kids-in-us-fever-cough-sore-throat-2022-10">many different viruses</a> — not just flu and COVID — are having a real "<a href="https://twitter.com/DrSdeG/status/1597971643267416066">party"</a> this year. People also shouldn't discount the idea that a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/false-negative-reasons-rapid-covid-test-may-show-bad-result-2021-12">COVID, RSV, or flu test</a> taken early on may not necessarily go positive. Here's what to consider if you're feeling feverish right now. </p><h2>Winter illness season is off to an early start</h2><p>To give you a sense of how many sick people there are in the US, here is what the CDC's weekly "influenza-like illness" map — which tracks how many people are showing up at doctor's offices with fevers and coughs or sore throats — looked like on Thanksgiving week in 2021:</p><div type="image" title="map - mostly green and yellow, with ili activity in 2021" height="618" width="1056" msid="96063252" hostid="261" sizebytes="37486"></div><p>Here is Thanksgiving week 2022:  </p><div type="image" title="map of US showing high flu activity in most states" height="646" width="1200" msid="96063254" hostid="261" sizebytes="31726"></div><p>This red-hot level of "influenza-like illness" is a barometer that's based on patient symptoms (not viral tests) so it likely encompasses many cases of flu, COVID, and several other respiratory diseases showing up on doctors' doorsteps. </p><h2>Trying to tell whether you've got the flu or COVID based on your symptoms? Good luck.</h2><p>"Fever, muscle aches, cough, headache, those are going to be common," Dr. Roy Gulick, chief of infectious disease at New York-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, told Insider. "You really can't tell the difference between flu and COVID." </p><p>This year's spike in respiratory illnesses has also arrived earlier than usual, and Gulick says it's "caught people by surprise" who haven't <a href="https://www.insider.com/flu-season-kids-in-us-fever-cough-sore-throat-2022-10">gotten their flu shot</a> or COVID booster. But <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/get-your-omicron-booster-shot-now-cases-rising-europe-us-2022-10">it's not too late</a> to roll up your sleeves, if you haven't yet.</p><div type="image" title="chart of influenza-like illnesses reported in the US, showing 2022-2023 season starting earlier than previous years" height="836" width="1173" msid="96063257" hostid="261" sizebytes="65838"></div><p>"There is still time to get vaccinated," Walensky said.</p><p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season.htm">Flu season</a> typically peaks in the US some time between December and February, but the illness can circulate well into May, or even <a href="https://www.today.com/health/cold-flu/is-it-flu-season-right-now-2021-2022-flu-season-long-rcna33366">later on</a> in the spring and summer, as it did <a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/influenza/surveillance/2021-2022/archive/2022-6-25_flu_report.pdf">last season</a>.</p><h2>If you've got a fever, getting tested for flu and COVID can help you access treatment </h2><p>If you have a fever and a sore throat or cough, experts like Gulick suggest getting tested for two respiratory viruses: flu and COVID. If you test postitive for either one, antiviral drugs may help you recover faster and safer from your infection, especially if you're <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/deaths-among-older-adults-due-to-covid-19-jumped-during-the-summer-of-2022-before-falling-somewhat-in-september/">elderly</a> or in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-death-rates-preexisting-conditions-heart-disease-cancer-2020-2">a high-risk group</a>.</p><p>If you test negative for COVID and the flu, it's possible you may need to wait a few days and test again. But you could also have something else, like "the older coronaviruses, a virus called adenovirus, and of course just the common cold," Gulick said. All of those can cause an upper respiratory infection too. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/surveillance/nrevss/index.html">Other illnesses</a> that are circulating now include <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/surveillance/nrevss/hmpv/natl-trend.html">metapneumovirus</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/surveillance/nrevss/human-paraflu/natl-trend.html">parainfluenza</a>.</p><p>"Most people probably don't need to know what they have," Gulick said. "They're gonna just go through the illness, and then get better with supportive care." Antibiotics are of no help for viral illnesses, so plenty of bedrest, fluids, and Tylenol or ibuprofen for fevers and aches is the tried and true method for at-home care.</p><p>While there is no treatment or <a href="https://www.insider.com/rsv-vaccine-approval-timeline-for-babies-elders-in-the-us-2022-11">vaccine</a> available yet for <a href="https://www.insider.com/can-adults-get-rsv-infections-common-all-ages-severity-varies-2022-10">viral illnesses like RSV</a>, both flu and COVID are "ones that people can do something about," Gulick said, by getting vaccinated, boosted, and using antiviral medications like Paxlovid for COVID and Tamiflu for flu when they're warranted.</p><p>"We've always known cold and flu season is more than just flu," Walensky said. For influenza and COVID, "we want to make sure people know that there are <a href="https://www.insider.com/bad-flu-season-when-should-i-get-a-shot-2022-9">prevention</a> and treatment interventions." </p><p>Last week, nearly <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm#NCHSMortality">one in ten deaths</a> nationwide was due to influenza, COVID, or pneumonia. Tragically, experts say, many of those deaths were preventable. </p>

People are getting sick with mystery illnesses and testing negative for COVID, RSV, and flu. Here's why.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS</span></p><p class="caption">Staying safe from sickness.</p></div><p></p></div></div>As summer turns to fall, the medical community is ramping up for their annual fight against the flu.</p><p>One Wall Street firm thinks this flu season could be a bad one.</p><p>William Quirk and Alexander Nowak at Piper Jaffray use the number of flu cases from Australia and New Zealand to forecast the US season, and they say the numbers from the southern hemisphere point to a massive increase in sicknesses this year.</p><p>'The Southern hemisphere just went through one of the worst flu seasons on record (despite the vaccine targeting the correct strains)," wrote Quirk and Nowak in a note to clients. "Using the New Zealand influenza season (reinforced with Australia) as our basis (influenza-like illness cases +45% yoy), our analysis suggests a 31.9% rise in influenza-like illnesses (ILI) season/season for the United States."</p><p>This would mean that their average prediction for US cases is 943,356, which is the worst since the H1N1 pandemic in 2009. Last year there were 715,031 reported ILIs, and 2009 was the only year in a decade to crack 750,000.</p><p>A particular concern is that the flu vaccine, which must be reconfigured every year as the illness evolves, is unable to stem the tide.</p><p>"This year, Australian ILIs surpassed recorded levels set during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, while New Zealand 's ILIs are inline with 2009," said Quirk and Nowak. "This is despite the vaccine targeting the predominate strains (H3N2 A/Switzerland, B/Yamagata lineage and B/Victoria lineage), suggesting the flu is more virulent this year."</p><p>Strains that hit the southern hemisphere have migrated to the US, so the experience could prove similar.</p><p>The analysts performed regression analysis of New Zealand and US flu cases, and found a notably close correlation.</p><p>While there's a large margin for error, but the low-end of their prediction range is still as high as it was last year. At the high end, the US could experience close to 1.2 million cases of the flu this year.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Piper Jaffray" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56058ba79dd7cc23008bd273-960/screen shot 2015-09-25 at 1.35.10 pm.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Piper Jaffray</span></p></div><p></p></div></div> </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/health-myths-wrong-cold-flu-2014-12">5 Health Myths That Are Completely Wrong</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RrYjM2cjrO5PU6LPOGa9dpI8LxG7Tjfg" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The US could be heading for one of its worst flu seasons in years

<ul class="summary-list"><li>US flu season is off to an early start.</li><li>Thermometers across the country are spiking temperatures higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.</li></ul><p>Cold and <a href="https://www.insider.com/when-to-get-flu-shot-vaccine-expert-getting-his-october-2022-9">flu season</a> is kicking off early this year. Doctors and parents across the US are noting a spike in pediatric fevers — signaling flu, <a href="https://www.insider.com/rsv-respiratory-syncytial-virus-children-hospital-symptoms-signs-risk-prevent-2022-10">RSV</a>, and other common winter illnesses are already spreading.</p><p>"What we're seeing most is respiratory viral illnesses," Dr. Melanie Kitagawa, who directs the pediatric intensive care unit at Texas Children's Hospital, told Insider. </p><p>But it's not just severe, hospitalized cases that are up. Smart thermometer company <a href="https://healthweather.us/">Kinsa</a> aggregates data from 2.5 million thermometers in households across the country. They're seeing lots of kids' temperatures spiking right now — well ahead of a more typical December/January viral illness wave.  </p><h2>Thermometer readings are soaring past 100 degrees</h2><p>Kinsa has about 1.5 million pediatric users aged 0 to 12 across the US. Right now, roughly 3% of them are recording "influenza-like illnesses," meaning the child has a fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, plus a cough or sore throat. This is a much higher percentage of illnesses than what Kinsa recorded at this time of year in 2021, 2020, or 2019:</p><div type="image" title="chart showing rising incidence of + fever readings on thermometers across the us" height="1056" width="1866" msid="95087082" hostid="261"></div><h2>Texas and DC are hotspots for flu </h2><p>In southern states like Texas, where Kitagawa works, the October virus-spreading trend is even more pronounced. The chart below tracks the proportion of ILI (influenza-like illnesses) that Kinsa thermometers are recording across 17 southern US states, including Delaware, DC, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.</p><p>You can see the pediatric curve here is even steeper than the graph for the entire US:</p><div type="image" title="chart showing rising incidence of + fever readings on thermometers across 17 southern states" height="1062" width="1890" msid="95087083" hostid="261"></div><p>Federal flu surveillance done in hospitals and outpatient clinics around the country mirrors Kinsa's tracking, too. The most recent tally of influenza-like illnesses across the US includes "high" levels of ILI fevers in Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and New York.</p><p>ILI is also "very high" in Washington, DC right now. In nearby Virginia, Stafford High School cancelled all extracurricular activities last weekend after nearly half the school's students and staff called out sick, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/3699509-about-1000-students-absent-from-a-virginia-high-school-with-flu-like-symptoms/">the Hill</a> reported. </p><div type="image" title="US flu heat map showing many southern states in red, orange" height="1004" width="1674" msid="95087085" hostid="261"></div><p>All this fever, cough, and sore throat data can't really differentiate between who has the flu, who has RSV, and who might have COVID-19, or some other viral illness that causes the same feverish symptoms. But it is a good indication that all those viruses are spreading quickly from person to person right now.  </p><p>If you're not sick yet, "do the preventative things that you can do, like get the <a href="https://www.vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/">flu vaccine</a>," Kitagawa said. </p><h2>Rest, hydration, and Tamiflu can help</h2><p>If you or your child is already sick, rest and hydration is key. Viral illnesses including flu, RSV, and COVID cannot be cured by antibiotics.</p><p>Instead, while the body fights the virus, symptoms can be eased with over-the-counter <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/general/influenza_flu_homecare_guide.pdf#page=23">medicine</a> including fever reducers, like children's acetaminophen or children's ibuprofen. A damp washcloth over the forehead or tepid bath can also feel good for a fever, while saltwater gargling may ease a sore throat. Staying home from school or work will also help prevent your child from spreading their flu to others. </p><p>Finally, the antiviral drug <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/tamiflu-consumer-questions-and-answers#:~:text=Tamiflu%20(oseltamivir%20phosphate)%20is%20an,it%20before%20you%20get%20sick.">Tamiflu</a> works to attack the flu virus and relieve symptoms faster than your body would naturally. The medicine requires a prescription, and needs to be taken within 48 hours after symptoms start. Tamiflu can also be taken as a prophylactic by family members of sick patients, which means it may help prevent them from getting ill.</p>

Charts show US flu season is off to a terrible start, with kids across the South already spiking 100-degree fevers

<ul><li>Adults hospitalised with the <keyword id="1609796" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="omicron" source="Orion">Omicron</keyword> variant have a higher death rate than those hospitalised with seasonal influenza.</li><li>The study by Dr Alaa Atamna and colleagues from the <keyword id="1692349" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rabin-medical-center" source="Orion">Rabin Medical Center</keyword> at <keyword id="17069086" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="belinison-hospital" source="Orion">Belinison Hospital</keyword> in Israel found that adults (18 years or older) hospitalised with influenza were 55 per cent less likely to die within 30 days than those hospitalised with Omicron during the 2021-2022 influenza season.</li><li>Respiratory complications and need for oxygen support and mechanical ventilation were also more common in Omicron cases than in seasonal influenza.</li></ul>New Delhi, Adults hospitalised with the Omicron variant have a higher death rate than those hospitalised with seasonal influenza, even though Omicron is considered less virulent with lower case fatality rates than the Delta and Alpha strains, new research has revealed.<br /><br />The study by Dr Alaa Atamna and colleagues from the Rabin Medical Center at Belinison Hospital in Israel found that adults (18 years or older) hospitalised with influenza were 55 per cent less likely to die within 30 days than those hospitalised with Omicron during the 2021-2022 influenza season.<br /><br />Influenza and Covid-19 are both respiratory diseases with similar modes of transmission.<br /><br />To find out more, researchers compared the clinical outcomes of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 (Omicron variant) and those hospitalised with influenza at a large academic hospital in Israel.<br /><br />Overall, 63 patients died within 30 days -- 19 admitted with influenza and 44 hospitalised with Omicron.<br /><br />Patients with Omicron tended to have higher overall comorbidity scores, needed more assistance performing activities of daily living (washing and dressing), and were more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes, whereas asthma was more common in those hospitalised with influenza.<br /><br />Respiratory complications and need for oxygen support and mechanical ventilation were also more common in Omicron cases than in seasonal influenza.<br /><br />"A possible reason for the higher Omicron death rate is that patients admitted with Omicron were older with additional major underlying illnesses such as diabetes and chronic kidney disease," said <keyword id="17069085" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="dr-atamna" source="Orion">Dr Atamna</keyword>.<br /><br />The difference might also be due to an exaggerated immune response in Covid-19, and that vaccination against Covid-19 was far lower among patients with Omicron," he added.<br /><br />The double whammy of overlapping influenza and Covid-19 epidemics will increase the complexity of disease and the burden on health systems, said the study to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology &amp; Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Copenhagen this month.<br /><br />SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/cert-in-warns-of-high-severity-vulnerabilities-in-apple-products-urges-immediate-action/articleshow/99231900.cms">CERT-In warns of high-severity vulnerabilities in Apple products, urges immediate action</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/googles-new-features-to-simplify-travel-planning-including-a-mobile-friendly-hotel-browsing-feature-a-price-guarantee-badge-for-flights-and-more/articleshow/99235884.cms">Google’s new features to simplify travel planning, including a mobile-friendly hotel browsing feature, a price guarantee badge for flights, and more</a><br />

Omicron more deadly than seasonal influenza, reveals research

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/fdaphotos/8392730215/in/photostream/">Food and Drug Administration</a></span></p><p class="caption">An FDA laboratory worker injects an influenza virus into an egg, where it will grow before being harvested.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>This year's flu vaccine is not very effective at staving off one of the most virulent and common strains: H3N2.</strong></li><li><strong>The shot can still help prevent 40-60% of flu cases and make the virus milder if you do catch it.</strong></li><li><strong>Flu season is off to a strong start in the US: three states are already reporting high flu-like activity.</strong></li></ul><p> </p><p>This year's flu vaccine may not be as effective at protecting people against one of the most common, nasty strains of the flu. But that doesn't mean you should forgo the shot.</p><p>The flu vaccine generally <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaccineeffect.htm">reduces the risk</a> of the overall population contracting influenza by 40-60%, but this year's shot isn't much help in protecting people from one of the most active, severe strains circulating: the H3N2 virus.</p><p>Dr Michael Osterholm, who directs The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told Business Insider that the vaccine is, at best, around 10% effective on H3N2.</p><p><span>"Unfortunately, it's the one strain that the vaccine is really underperforming in, in every regard," </span>he said.</p><p>That strain caused some of the most severe illnesses and deaths in the Southern Hemisphere during their flu season this year, particularly in older populations. In Australia, the government reported most of the known influenza cases were H3N2, and Australian labs diagnosed <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/flureport">more than two and a half times more cases</a> of the flu this year (compared to last.) </p><h2>An above-average flu season in the US?</h2><p>It's still early in the flu season, but three US states, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina, are experiencing high "Influenza-Like Illness" activity.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a></span></p><p class="caption">Flu activity in the US for the week of Nov 26- Dec 2, 2017. Flu forecasters say so far, flu levels are a little higher than average.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Federal flu forecaster Dave Osthus at the Los Alamos National Laboratory told Business Insider that flu levels are looking a little higher than average for this time of year, but they're still within a normal range. He predicts the peak of flu season will hit sometime between late December and early March 2018.</p><h2>Why the shot is less effective this year</h2><p>Labs have updated the part of the vaccine that protects against the H1N1 strain this year.</p><p>But the reason the 2017 shot isn't preventing as many cases of the H3N2 strain is that while scientists were growing the virus in chicken eggs, that strain mutated. It's not a harmful defect, but it means that the non-live strain of H3N2 influenza in the injection is slightly different than what's actually circulating in the human population.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a></span></p><p class="caption">The H3N2 cases reported so far are shown here in red.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>That means our bodies don't have the best possible antibodies to fight off real cases of H3N2. Consequently, the majority of flu cases reported in the US so far this season have been that H3N2 strain. </p><p>Last week, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases made an urgent plea for better vaccines in the <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1714916?query=featured_home">New England Journal of Medicine</a>, saying "longer-term, transformative vaccine approaches are needed to minimize influenza-related morbidity and mortality."</p><h2>Why you should still get vaccinated</h2><p>Osterholm said it's still a good idea to get a shot. Roughly <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p1207-flu-vaccine-coverage.html">40 percent of the US population</a> opts for the vaccine every year, and the CDC estimates it prevents about 5 million flu cases annually across the country. </p><p>Flu vaccination can also come in the form of a live-flu mist, but the CDC is not recommending that anyone get that this year because it's been less effective than the shot in recent years. </p><p>In addition to lowering your chances of getting the flu, the shot can also make the illness milder if you do catch it. Studies of pregnant women who get the flu shot have also shown it can reduce their newborns' risk of catching the flu by half.</p><p>Getting your flu shot can also contribute to 'herd immunity' - less cases of the flu overall means more protection for the most vulnerable people in the population: the elderly, children, and individuals with certain allergies who can't get the vaccine.</p><p>Most importantly, a flu shot won't ever give you the flu, since the virus that's injected is not live. The shot can come with common side effects, however, including soreness, low-grade fever and muscle aches. But that's still a lot better than coming down with a full-blown flu, which can knock people out for over a week.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-get-flu-shot-every-year-influenza-2016-10">This is why you have to get a new flu shot every year</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

This year's flu shot is not as effective against one of the nastiest strains - but you should still get it

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Brian Blanco/AP</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Vaccinating people against the flu is something that governments recommend <a href="http://www.who.int/influenza_vaccines_plan/en/">all over the world</a>, including in the US, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaccineeffect.htm">asserts</a> that "flu vaccination benefits public health."</p><p>Exactly how effective are immunization programs against the flu? It's actually very difficult to say for sure - though it's nothing close to 100%.</p><p>But here's something all those "get vaccinated" messages don't usually emphasize: Getting vaccinated isn't really about you - it's about protecting society as a whole.</p><h2>Why it's so hard to protect against the flu</h2><p>Developing a flu vaccine is like trying to hit hundreds of targets that are constantly changing, and you're never sure which one will turn out to be the most dangerous.</p><p>There are over 200 different <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/types.htm">types of the influenza virus</a>. And they are evolving inside our bodies and in animals in a constant arms race.</p><p>Each causes the flu, but our bodies can only be protected against a specific strain if we've seen it or one similar to it before, either because we were infected or vaccinated.</p><p>Every year, the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/vaccine-selection.htm">CDC decides</a> which three or four strains are most likely to be a problem (based largely on what emerged the year before), and puts those strains in the vaccines. Since it's a bit like trying to predict the future, the flu vaccine never offers complete protection. On top of that, a small percentage of people <a href="http://archive.hhs.gov/nvpo/concepts/intro6.htm">don't respond to the vaccine</a>.</p><h2>How effective is the flu vaccine?</h2><p>Last year - an especially dismal year for the vaccine's effectiveness - the CDC reported that the flu shot <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/news/updated-vaccine-effectiveness-2014-15.htm">was 18% effective against the influenza A viruses</a> included and 45% effective against the influenza B viruses. That made it 19% effective overall.</p><p>In other words, if you got a flu shot, your <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/news/updated-vaccine-effectiveness-2014-15.htm">risk of going to a doctor</a> with the flu was 19% lower.</p><p>The flu vaccine has been more effective in other years; in 2011-12, it was <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/effectiveness-studies.htm">47% effective</a> overall and reduced flu-related hospitalizations by <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaccineeffect.htm">71%, according to one study</a>. It really varies. And these measurements are not perfect, since they are based on a limited data set and measure <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24623315">a reduction in flu-like illnesses</a>, many of which are not actually caused by influenza viruses.</p><p>But as an <a href="http://www.healthnewsreview.org/2015/10/this-flu-season-lets-immunize-ourselves-from-the-annual-infection-of-exaggerating-relative-risk-reductions/">article in HealthNewsReview</a> points out, that effectiveness number - which shows something called relative risk - doesn't tell the whole story. If your risk of something is already rather small, lowering that risk by 19% or even 47% might not mean that much to you as an individual.</p><p>On a population level, however, it matters.</p><h2>How the flu vaccine compares to other vaccines</h2><p>One way to understand the true impact of a vaccine is by using something called the "number needed to vaccinate" (NNV), which is frequently used by epidemiologists to answer a simple question: How many people do we need to vaccinate to prevent one person from getting a disease?</p><p>If an imaginary disease infects everyone who is exposed, and the vaccine against that disease offers 100% protection, the NNV would be one. In reality though, that's not how diseases work.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>NIAID/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Take flu shots, for example. A widely cited review of the research by an independent group called The Cochrane Collaboration found that <a href="http://www.cochrane.org/CD001269/ARI_vaccines-to-prevent-influenza-in-healthy-adults">71 people need to get a flu shot</a> in order to prevent one person from getting the flu (the actual flu - not just a flu-like illness).</p><p>For comparison, between <a href="http://adc.bmj.com/content/85/2/83.full">five and 12 people need to get a chicken pox shot</a> in order to prevent one case of chicken pox. It's <a href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/197/Supplement_2/S82.long">generally</a> <a href="http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/top-20-questions-about-vaccination#2">more than 85% effective</a>. Unlike the flu, the virus that causes chicken pox <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-shingles-expert.html?pagewanted=all">does not change quickly or frequently</a>, so developing an effective vaccine is much more straightforward.</p><p>The <a href="http://www.gardasil.com/">Gardasil-4 vaccine</a>, which like the flu vaccine targets a virus (in this case, HPV) with many different types, <a href="http://www.aafp.org/afp/2007/0815/p573.html">has a NNV of 100.</a> That means 100 people need to get the shot in order to prevent just one person from getting the abnormal cervical cell changes that can lead to cancer.</p><p>For influenza, the NNV of 71 only applies to healthy adults; the number is likely different for children, for whom the flu vaccine is usually more effective, and for the elderly, who don't respond to the vaccine as well. And the study found a NNV of 40 for preventing those influenza-like illnesses, which many flus (and other similar bugs) are grouped under. (Most cases of the flu are not confirmed with a definitive diagnosis.)</p><h2>So is it worth it?</h2><p>All of this might lead one to conclude that the flu vaccine is pretty disappointing overall, with what seems like middling effectiveness. Is it really worth vaccinating 71 people just to save one person from a disease that's not usually serious? While the NNV helps illustrate individual risk, it still obscures the larger picture.</p><p>The flu vaccine isn't by any means a guarantee against the flu, but public vaccination programs are critical for protecting society overall. One person with the flu is usually not a big deal - but thousands of people, every year, year after year, many of whom are already weak or suffering? That's huge.</p><p>The flu "is so frequent that even if it's fleeting, it's a massive burden," <a href="http://evidencelive.org/speaker/tom-jefferson/">Dr. Tom Jefferson</a>, who co-authored the Cochrane review, explained.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.vaccines.gov/basics/protection/">NIAID</a></span></p><p class="caption">Here's how herd immunity works.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The changing effectiveness of the flu shot from year to year doesn't mean that you shouldn't get it, according to the CDC. As infectious disease specialist Dr. Mark Crislip explained in a <a href="https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/flu-vaccine-efficacy/">story on the site Science-Based Medicine</a>, it's not just about you.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">The true benefit of the influenza vaccines [is in] decreasing the morbidity and mortality of populations. The benefit for populations is derived through vaccinating individuals. That requires a bit of altruism on the part of those receiving the vaccine, as they may be getting vaccinated more for the benefit of others than for themselves.</p><p>Between <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/us_flu-related_deaths.htm#how-many-die">3,000 and 49,000 people die</a> every year because of the flu, according to the CDC.</p><p>More people getting vaccinated means the <a href="http://www.vaccines.gov/basics/protection/">herd immunity</a> of the population will be higher: One infection is less likely to spread to someone truly vulnerable - since that person will be surrounded by people who have somewhat altruistically vaccinated themselves - and then fewer people will get the flu overall. (People can even <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/10-flu-myths">spread the flu</a> even without having any symptoms.)</p><p><a href="http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/results/directory/profile/0008777/Patricia-M-Perl-MD">Dr. Trish Perl</a>, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, said she often appeals to people's conscience when she explains the societal benefits of getting a flu shot.</p><p>"You may not be getting sick, but the person with cancer who won't respond as well to the vaccine might," she said. "If we protect you, we can cocoon grandma."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/health-myths-wrong-cold-flu-2014-12">5 Health Myths That Are Completely Wrong</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RrYjM2cjrO5PU6LPOGa9dpI8LxG7Tjfg" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The best reason to get a flu shot is much bigger than you

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Human metapneumovirus spiked this spring as cases of COVID and RSV fell. </li><li><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/surveillance/nrevss/hmpv/natl-trend.html">According to the CDC,</a> 19.6% of antigen tests and nearly 11% of PCR tests for HMPV were positive in the US in early March.</li></ul><p>Cases of another type of respiratory virus spiked this spring, just as COVID-19 and RSV rates were finally falling in the US. </p><p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/surveillance/nrevss/hmpv/natl-trend.html">According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,</a> 19.6% of antigen tests and nearly 11% of PCR tests for human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, were positive in the US in early March.</p><p>The nearly 11% of positive PCR cases is up 36% since before the COVID-19 pandemic when PCR tests for HMPV were coming back with a rate of 7% positivity, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7029a1.htm">per CDC</a>. </p><p>In contrast, COVID-19 cases were down nearly 30% at the beginning of March, <a href="https://covid19.who.int/region/amro/country/us">according to the World Health Organization</a>, and the number of people being hospitalized for RSV was down to 1.2 people per 100,000 in March from 4.5 people per 100,000 in January, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/research/rsv-net/dashboard.html">according to CDC data</a>.</p><p>Virus experts say this illness pattern looks a little more like the seasonality they typically saw in the US pre-pandemic, when RSV cases would spike first in the fall, then influenza would surge, and later in the season parainfluenzas and human metapneumovirus would circulate, into the spring.  </p><p>"They would come in waves," Dr. Pedro Piedra, a professor of molecular virology and respiratory virus expert at Baylor College of Medicine, <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-kids-are-sick-rsv-flu-flooding-ers-2022-11">previously told Insider</a>. "These viruses, whether they be influenza, or RSV, or human metapneumovirus, can have a significant consequence on our health."</p><h2>How to treat an HMPV infection</h2><div type="image" title="Miami Beach, Florida, Navarro Pharmacy, cough medicine, cold and flu, over the counter medication aisle." height="1400" width="1866" msid="100629607" hostid="261" sizebytes="411340"></div><p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncird/human-metapneumovirus.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Symptoms of HMPV</a> mimic other viruses, and include a cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath. The infection can also progress into bronchitis, pneumonia, or other illnesses that cause upper and lower respiratory distress.</p><p>Some people with HMPV might get sick for longer than others, depending on the severity of their illness. Most people with respiratory infections caused by viruses like HMPV are sick for about a week to two weeks. </p><p>At home, <a href="https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/human-metapneumovirus-hmpv/treatment-recovery#:~:text=How%20hMPV%20Is%20Treated,)%2C%20along%20with%20a%20decongestant." target="_blank" rel="noopener">you can treat symptoms</a> of HMPV like you would other mild viral illnesses. Fever, aches and pains can be soothed with over the counter medications like Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen) as well as decongestant drugs. There's no vaccine for HMPV, nor is there an antiviral drug like Paxlovid or Tamiflu developed to treat it. Stay hydrated, and get lots of rest.</p><p>HMPV is spread by coughs and sneezes, close personal contact, and touching surfaces infected with the virus, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes. </p>

Just when we were starting to see COVID and RSV rates drop this spring, another type of virus contributed to a spike in respiratory infections

People hospitalised with seasonal <keyword id="6388288" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="influenza" source="Orion">influenza</keyword> also can suffer long-term, negative health effects, especially involving their lungs and airways, much like the effects of long <keyword id="8764262" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid" source="Orion">Covid</keyword>, according to a study.<br /><br />The findings, published in The Lancet <keyword id="156132" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="infectious-diseases" source="Orion">Infectious Diseases</keyword>, showed that Long flu, which was ignored for a considerable time, is for real and is a health <keyword id="27263" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="risk" source="Orion">risk</keyword>.<br /><br />The new study by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis compared the viruses that cause Covid-19 and the flu also revealed that in the 18 months after infection, <keyword id="6364395" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="patients" source="Orion">patients</keyword> hospitalised for either Covid-19 or seasonal influenza faced an increased risk of death, hospital readmission, and health problems in many organ systems.<br /><br />Further, the time of highest risk was 30 days or later after initial infection.<br /><br />"The study illustrates the high toll of death and loss of health following hospitalisation with either Covid-19 or seasonal influenza," said Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University.<br /><br />"It's critical to note that the health risks were higher after the first 30 days of infection. Many people think they're over Covid-19 or the flu after being discharged from the hospital. That may be true for some people. But our research shows that both viruses can cause long-haul illness," he added.<br /><br />Al-Aly, an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University said that a review of past studies on Covid versus the flu focused on a short-term and narrow set of health outcomes.<br /><br />They found that the overall risk and occurrence of death, hospital admissions, and loss of health in many organ systems are substantially higher among Covid patients than among those who have had seasonal influenza, he said.<br /><br />"The one notable exception is that the flu poses higher risks to the pulmonary system than Covid-19," Al-Aly said.<br /><br />The researchers evaluated health information involving 81,280 patients hospitalised for Covid from March 2020 to June 2022, as well as 10,985 patients hospitalised for seasonal influenza from October 2015 to February 2019.<br /><br />During the overall 18-month study period, patients who had Covid faced a 50 per cent higher risk of death than those with seasonal influenza. This corresponded to about eight more deaths per 100 persons in the Covid group than among those with the flu.<br /><br />Although Covid showed a greater risk of health loss than seasonal influenza, infection with either virus carried significant risk of disability and disease.<br /><br />The researchers found Covid exhibited an increased risk of 68 per cent of health conditions examined across all organ systems (64 of the 94 adverse health outcomes studied), while the flu was associated with elevated risk of 6 per cent of health conditions (six of the 94) -- mostly in the respiratory system.<br /><br />Also, over 18 months, Covid-19 patients experienced an increased risk of hospital readmission as well as admission to an intensive care unit (ICU). For every 100 persons in each group, there were 20 more hospital admissions and nine more ICU admissions in Covid-19 than flu.<br /><br />"For both Covid-19 and seasonal influenza, vaccinations can help prevent severe disease and reduce the risk of hospitalizations and death,"Al-Aly said.<br />

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