Flu-fighting microbiologist: Protect yourself, people you love
As Floridians we are used to an uncertain October, anxiously awaiting the end of hurricane season and beginning influenza – aka flu – season with some trepidation. This past weekend, the Florida Department of Health announced the state’s first death linked to flu, in a child who was otherwise apparently healthy.
Last flu season was one with the highest number of deaths in 40 years: 80,000. It is important to understand what went wrong last year so we can be better prepared now and in the future. We need new flu vaccines every single year, because the flu virus changes itself every year, morphing into what are called different strains. Although there are four main types of flu viruses (A, B, C and D), only A and B cause significant disease in humans. Consequently, vaccines contain both A and B viruses.
Every year, we worry whether the seasonal flu strain will be a lethal strain. Typically, the seasonal strain is highly contagious, but not very deadly – less than 1 percent of individuals who get it will die.
Just like flu in humans, there are flu viruses that cause avian influenza – aka bird flu – in poultry. Waterfowl such as wild geese and ducks are natural reservoirs for flu viruses and carry these viruses without being sick from them. These viruses can mutate and spill over into our world, causing flu in humans and in animals such as pigs and poultry, among others.
Bird flu virus strain H5N1 causes a particularly severe illness in poultry. This strain was first detected in geese in China in 1996 and subsequently detected in poultry and wild birds in over 50 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Occasionally, this strain infects humans, with over 60 percent of individuals who get it dying from it.
The only silver lining with H5N1 is that it is not very contagious in humans – that is, infected humans do not usually pass it along to others. Yet! There is certainly a possibility that H5N1 could acquire the ability to become highly contagious in humans. These are viruses, after all, and they are known for their ability to mutate and adapt. IF H5N1 were to adapt to become highly contagious, it would most likely be a result of acquiring this ability from seasonal flu viruses.
When the call goes out for vaccinations, we are trying to protect ourselves against (1) seasonal flu and (2) the possibility of an adapted bird flu strain that is highly contagious and highly deadly. What went wrong last year was the H3N2 flu strain mutating while being grown in eggs, the traditional flu vaccine manufacture process. This resulted in the H3N2 component of the flu vaccine being only 10 percent effective in preventing flu.
A new vaccine choice this year is one that bypassed eggs and was grown in animal cells, giving us vaccine strains (including H3N2) that should be more similar to the flu viruses in circulation. We don’t know yet how effective this year’s flu vaccines will be, but like the viruses, we are also trying to evolve and come up with better strategies for protection. We have to remember that, of the 183 pediatric deaths last flu season, about 80 percent occurred in unvaccinated children.
In addition to getting vaccinated, the following steps will also help protect you from flu:
Avoid close contact with sick people; wear a face mask if you cannot.
While sick, limit contact with others; wear a face mask if you cannot.
When coughing or sneezing, cover nose and mouth with a tissue and discard tissue in a trashcan after you use it, preferably a hands-free trashcan. Wash hands often. Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth unless your hands are clean.
Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that come in contact with multiple people in a day.
Flu can be deadly. Prevention may add a few extra minutes to our daily rituals, but it will also give us a better chance of staying above ground. I hope this piece is informational and gives people enough knowledge that they can protect themselves and their loves ones from the flu.