fever from vaccine adults :: Article CreatorWHO Backs Trivalent Flu Vaccine
The World Health Organization recommends the Northern Hemisphere's 2024-25 flu vaccines be trivalent.
On Feb. 23, the WHO told national vaccine regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies its recommendations for the viral composition of next season's influenza vaccines.
A trivalent vaccine protects against three strains of the flu, including two influenza A strains and one influenza B strain. Last year, the WHO recommended quadrivalent shots.
For egg-based vaccines — which the CDC recently OK'd for people with egg allergies — the WHO suggests they target an A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus, an A/Thailand/8/2022 (H3N2)-like virus, and a B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus.
Cell-culture or recombinant-based vaccines are recommended to contain an A/Wisconsin/67/2022 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus, an A/Massachusetts/18/2022 (H3N2)-like virus, and a B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus.
Quadrivalent vaccines for the 2024-25 Northern Hemisphere flu season are encouraged to also include a B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata lineage)-like virus.
Two Rivers District Reports Two Nebraska Adult Influenza Deaths
The Two Rivers Public Health Department has confirmed two adult influenza deaths within the Two Rivers District, covering Buffalo, Dawson, Franklin, Gosper, Harlan, Kearney and Phelps counties.
As of February 17th, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has reported a total of 20 influenza-related deaths in Nebraska this flu season.
SIGNS & SYMPTOMS – Common symptoms of the flu often — but not always — include fever as well as aching muscles, chills, and sweats.
Headache. Dry, persistent cough Shortness of breath Tiredness and weakness Runny or stuffy nose Sore throat Eye pain Vomiting and diarrhea also are flu symptoms WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR – Most people who get the flu can treat themselves at home and often don't need to see a healthcare professional. If you have emergency symptoms of the flu, get medical care right away.
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath Chest pain Ongoing dizziness Seizures Worsening of existing medical conditions Severe weakness or muscle pain Gray or blue, lips or nail beds Dehydration Health authorities emphasize that vaccination remains the most effective means of preventing influenza. Residents are encouraged to schedule their flu shots by contacting TRPHD at 888-669-7154.
Lagging Take Rates For RSV Vaccine Increasing Risk Of Serious Respiratory Issues
Mark Loehrke Times correspondent
As general awareness of respiratory illness has increased exponentially the last several years — thanks in large part to the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic — health care professionals hoped that a more informed patient would be more vaccine-conscious.
Even as COVID has faded from the daily headlines, other viral threats have stepped into the spotlight, namely, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which has emerged as a significant risk to several vulnerable populations, including senior citizens and immunocompromised individuals.
A single-dose RSV shot that provides protection in adults 60 and older for at least two winter seasons can be administered at the same times as several other vaccines. But recent data shows that uptake rates among seniors for the RSV vaccine remain stubbornly low, at just around 15% of eligible patients. And while that is dispiriting for medical providers, some say it's not necessarily surprising.
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"The low vaccine uptake doesn't surprise me, but it does frustrate and disappoint me," adds Dr. Erica Kaufman West, who specializes in infectious disease and internal medicine at Franciscan Physician Network in Dyer. "The CDC recommends 'shared decision-making' between a patient and their physician — talking through what risk factors they have and whether the vaccine would help prevent severe disease. But primary care physicians are often trying to tackle many things during a particular visit and discussing a new vaccine takes time. I am sure many of them run out of time in a 15-minute visit, and patients leave not knowing the benefits of the new vaccine. We ask a lot out of primary-care providers, and we don't give them enough time to do it."
While noting that the RSV vaccine is advised mainly for seniors at high risk of severe illness due to comorbidities such as COPD, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease or cancer, Kaufman West says that many people older than 60 do have at least one of these risk factors.
And despite the very real threat of RSV-inspired bronchiolitis, pneumonia and extra strain on the heart and other organs from low oxygen — any of which could lead to death — many patients simply believe they won't be the one to get seriously ill.
"As we see with COVID-19 and influenza, people think that they will not be the one in the hospital with severe disease," Kaufman West says. "The problem with that line of thinking is that we, as a society, get the maximum benefit from vaccines when the majority of people get them."
In addition to a general lack of information surrounding RSV, DeFauw says many seniors seem to be experiencing vaccine fatigue, citing a lack of time to get the shot or their concerns about side effects (potential side effects from the RSV vaccine are similar to those with the flu and COVID vaccines — fatigue, fever, headache, nausea, diarrhea and muscle/joint pain).
However, given the potential risks, DeFauw and Kaufman West hope that more seniors will get the message and help boost those low uptake rates — rather than boosting hospital census numbers.
"On the positive side, I have discussed with my elderly patients who have comorbidities such as asthma and COPD the risks and benefits of getting or not getting the RSV vaccine, and I've noticed that many of my at-risk elderly patients are, in fact, being vaccinated," DeFauw notes.
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