Health
Flu strain eradicated by corona measures
It has been recommended for years to protect against the flu with a quadruple vaccine. This season this is not the case. The reason for this is the success of the Corona measures.
Some people may have already been surprised: from this season onwards, a triple vaccine is recommended for the flu vaccination instead of the previous quadruple vaccine. It offers protection against just three instead of four influenza virus strains. This is not a cost-cutting measure, but is due to a marginal effect of the Corona measures: “We have completely eradicated a flu strain,” says Carsten Watzl from the TU Dortmund. “This shows very clearly how effective the measures were.”
Until 2018, a triple vaccine was standard in Germany. Since the 2018/2019 flu season, a quadruple vaccine has been recommended by the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko). For the beginning of the season, the triple vaccine was recommended again as standard flu protection – without antigens against the B Yamagata flu strain.
Suddenly no more evidence
As early as 2020, experts had determined that this group of influenza viruses was no longer circulating. B Yamagata did not appear again in the years that followed, says immunologist Watzl. According to an article in the specialist magazine “Lancet”, B Yamagata is the only virus that causes respiratory diseases that was made extinct in the course of the corona pandemic – although caution is still advised: not every corner of the world is well monitored, B Yamagata may have it after all survived somewhere.
The World Health Organization (WHO) concluded in September 2023 that the B-Yamagata component is no longer needed for vaccination protection. The so-called trivalent vaccine should now only contain antigens from one influenza B strain (B Victoria) and two influenza A strains. Different variants of these subtypes circulate worldwide, with varying degrees of intensity in each flu season.
Weighing up for the upcoming season
Every February, the WHO considers how the vaccines for the coming season should be designed to provide the best possible protection. Since it is difficult to predict which strains will dominate, quadruple vaccination protection against two A and two B strains has been used for years. This increases the likelihood that the vaccine will be effective against the strains that are actually circulating.
The flu is a highly contagious infectious disease. The course is much more severe than “flu-like infections,” as colds caused by other pathogens are often called. Fatigue, high fever and a dry cough usually occur suddenly. In Germany, tens of thousands of people fall ill with influenza in the winter months.
Illnesses that you don’t have to have
Shingles
You feel under the weather, a dull pain appears in the left side of your chest, it slowly radiates and threatens to constrict you. A few days later, red spots bloom on your chest, grouping into a band or belt. It is now clear: you have shingles, also known as herpes zoster. The varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is to blame for this painful disease. If you contract it for the first time, you will get chickenpox. This usually happens in childhood. After that, you are protected against chickenpox for life, but the pathogens remain in the body and can, for example, trigger inflammation of the nerves when you are stressed – the infamous shingles. The likelihood of developing the disease increases from the age of 50. The possible complications are serious: If, for example, bacteria settle on the injured skin, you are at risk of a so-called superinfection: the area becomes additionally inflamed, it becomes scarred, and your skin can even become permanently discolored. If the herpes zoster blisters have formed on your forehead or scalp, the pathogen can temporarily paralyze your facial nerves. If the virus has crawled into the cells of your eye nerves, it may destroy the conjunctiva and cornea. You may go blind under certain circumstances. About one in seven people who have survived shingles develop what is known as post-herpetic neuralgia, severe nerve pain that lasts months longer than the shingles itself. Fortunately, you can get vaccinated against it.
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Several deaths from flu every year
Influenza viruses reduce the body’s defenses and make the body susceptible to life-threatening complications: According to the RKI, influenza-related deaths are usually caused by bacterial pneumonia after the influenza viruses have previously damaged the lungs. The number of deaths varies greatly from season to season – from several hundred to over 25,000 as in the 2017/18 season.
Stiko recommends an annual vaccination in the fall for people aged 60 and over or if there is an increased health risk, for example as a result of an underlying illness. A vaccination does not offer 100% protection against illness, but it does ensure milder symptoms. Antibiotics, on the other hand, are ineffective against influenza, as with all diseases caused by viruses. However, they are used when complications caused by bacteria also occur.
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Source: Stern
I’m Caroline, a journalist and author for 24 Hours Worlds. I specialize in health-related news and stories, bringing real-world impact to readers across the globe. With my experience in journalism and writing in both print and online formats, I strive to provide reliable information that resonates with audiences from all walks of life.
