It’s ‘flu vaccination season again in the UK. Recommended vaccines contain similar strains to last year ( A/H1N1 ; A/H3N2 ; B ) for the northern hemisphere; thus including the Philippines, where the " season " is less well defined, however.
Last year it’s estimated around 2/3 " frontline health and social care workers " had the ‘flu jab ; in recent years effectiveness has been around 50% ; it remains the best protection we have against an unpredictable virus.
Recommendations for who should have the jab are much the same as last year. It won’t stop all ‘flu and " common cold " viruses, but at least it’s safe for most people including pregnant women, and children.
Clearly I can’t make specific recommendations for members I don’t know, save to suggest discussion with your doctor or pharmacist as to whether the jab might be worthwhile. ‘Flu is usually self-limiting in healthy individuals; antiviral drugs at best limit the time for symptoms ; antibiotics may be needed if there is secondary infection by bacteria, such as pneumonia. I will again have the jab, as I did when working.
The problem with the ‘flu virus is that it can change ( either in a minor way = " antigenic drift " ; or major = " antigenic shift ", resulting in severe pandemics ). This is why the seasonal ‘flu vaccine needs to be updated every year. Ideally there would be a " universal vaccine ", which would work against " conserved " / unchanging sites on the virus. This would not only avoid the need for annual jabs, but also help prevent future pandemics. Several such possible vaccines are in late-stage preclinical or clinical development. Let’s hope they become available as soon as possible.
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