Tag Archives: influenza

Business/Economics, U.S.

U.S. CDC admits current Flu shots might not protect against H3N2v, children at risk

“The seasonal vaccine is not designed to protect against H3N2v. Limited studies show that it may boost immunity against this virus in adults, but will probably not offer protection for children.”-U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The U.S. CDC is concerned after 12 people caught H3N2v (the ‘v’ stands for “variant”) between August and December 2011.

“This virus is related to human flu viruses from the 1990s, so adults should have some immunity, but young children probably do not. Early steps to make a vaccine against H3N2v have been taken, but no decision to mass produce such a vaccine has been made. Public health authorities are watching closely.”-U.S. CDC

 

U.S.

Fear of H3N2 has New Jersey politicians trying to make a law that forces you to get a Flu shot.

Lawmakers in New Jersey are considering a bill that would make it mandatory for health care workers to get flu shots every year.

It could be because of the growing concern over new flu viruses, like the H3N2v.  However, Canadian and Greek studies have shown that current vaccines have no effect on the new flu viruses!

New Jersey lawmakers are expected to vote on the bill next week.

International, U.S.

Taiwan’s CDC says H3N2 outbreak possible in the United States

“The whole world is keeping a watch for possible mutation of the virus. We are now screening local patients who have come down with serious flu symptoms or complications of H3N2v.”-Chou Jih-haw, Taiwan CDC

On February 10, Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced they are concerned of a possible outbreak of H3N2, after 12 people in the U.S. got infected at the end of 2011.

H3N2 is already hitting Japan, and parts of Europe, hard.  The new version of H3N2 is called H3N2v, and it contains genes from the H1N1 virus.

So far there are no confirmed H3N2v cases in Taiwan, but health officials there are stepping up efforts to head H3N2v off at the pass, by closely monitoring anyone who reports being sick.

 

International, U.S.

2009 Greek study says new strain of H3N2 is drug resistant! U.S. CDC says anti-flu drugs no longer work!

The European Union’s Eurosurveillance published a report in 2009, about Greece’s efforts to combat flu viruses: “Greece is a known crossroads among three continents (Europe, Asia, Africa) through which resistant strains can spread.”

From 2004 to 2008, Greek researchers looked at how the various viruses reacted to available anti-viral drugs.  Anti-viral drugs work mainly by attacking protein cells.  In flu viruses the specific proteins are called “M2”.  However, they are only effective in the early stages of infection.

For those of us who don’t like reliance on petroleum products, some anti-virals (like the now ineffective adamantanes) are based on petroleum hydrocarbons.

The Greek study concluded that current flu viruses have become resistant to most anti-viral drugs, precisely because the drugs were being used so much: “Resistance to M2 inhibitors first appeared following extensive drug use in Asia and the U.S. after the SARS epidemic in 2004. The worldwide spread of these resistant strains occurred through replacement of sensitive with resistant viruses, probably because of other selective advantages of the resistant strains connected to other genes than M2.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention backs the Greek study up. After studying the 2009 flu epidemic in the U.S. the CDC concluded that the viruses are now drug resistant!

 

Influenza

WHO says H3N2 will dominate this year’s flu season, Romania & Sweden at Epidemic levels!

On February 3, 2012, the UN’s World Health Organization said the new strain of H3N2 will dominate the 2011/2012 flu season.  This came after 1.74 million Japanese were infected in January.

The WHO said notable increases in flu cases are expected in North America, Europe and northern China.

The dominant flu is H3N2 (a type of influenza A, aka swine flu).  But Mexico is still being hit by H1N1 (also a type of swine flu), and China is dealing with influenza B (a type of virus that infects humans and seals).

Canada is seeing a steady increase in H3N2 cases.  The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control is reporting increases in H3N2 cases in Bulgaria, Iceland, Italy and Spain.  Romania and Sweden are now at epidemic levels.

 

International, U.S.

Canadian study says Flu shots not effective against new version of H3N2

On January 27, 2012, it was reported that a Canadian study concluded that  outbreaks of H3N2, from 2009 to 2011, could not have been prevented with flu shots!

It also showed that young adults were the best able to fight off H3N2, children and older people are at the most risk.  Also, despite health officials claiming flu shots protect against several types of influenza, the Canadian researchers reported that flu shots do not protect against H3N2/H1N1 related flu viruses!

This new version of H3N2 is a descendant of a long forgotten flu virus:  “Recent analysis has shown that swH3N2 viruses and zoonotic transmissions to humans, including A(H3N2)v, are descendants from a common human influenza virus ancestor, the A/Wuhan/359/1995(H3N2)-like virus [7]. Influenza A/Wuhan/359/1995 has not circulated in humans nor been a component of the trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) since 1998 [this is why flu shots are not effective against H3N2!], when it was replaced by influenza A/Sydney/5/1997(H3N2) [8-10].”

The report was published, on January 24, 2012, in the European Union’s Eurosurveillance online publication concerning infectious diseases.

The following are from the report’s conclusion: “…our results suggest broad susceptibility to swine-origin H3N2 infection in young children, consistent with early epidemiologic features of A(H3N2)v in the U.S.”

“The H3N2 subtype of swine-origin influenza may show a different age-related pattern of risk in the human population compared to the H1N1 subtype…”

“We observed little TIV-induced improvement in cross-reactive antibodies…” Meaning flu shots don’t work.

“Additional studies should explore age-related and vaccine-induced effects…” Meaning this virus is so new that they don’t know how to fight it!

International, U.S.

H3N2 hits Epidemic levels in France, too late for Flu shots to be effective!

France is now the second European country to sound a warning about the latest version of H3N2 swine flu!  Unlike Norway, France says the number of infections in their country are nearing epidemic levels!

Cases are escalating in the French areas of Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.  Health care providers are seeing an average of 148 cases per 100,000 people.  Officially, epidemic levels would be 168 per 100,000 people.

On February 8, Norwegian health officials warned of a potential outbreak in their country.  At the end of January, Japan officially reported 1.74 million people infected with H3N2!

Norwegian health officials are urging people to get flu shots, but back in France health officials say it’s too late!  It takes 15 days for a flu shot to be of benefit, but it’s obvious that Europe is indeed getting whacked by H3N2 right now.

 

International, U.S.

Europe to be hit with new version of H3N2, Norway sees steady increase in cases

Norway’s Public Health Institute is warning of a possible H3N2 outbreak, after seeing an increase in cases since December 2011.

On the other side of the world, Japan is already dealing with at least 1.74 million cases!

H3N2 is an older type of “Swine Flu”, not to be confused with H1N1 swine flu (as the main stream media usually does).  However, in December 2011, U.S. health researchers warned of a possible outbreak of a new mutation of H3N2.

Back in Norway, public health officials are urging Europeans to get flu shots.