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Is there a new flu vaccine that protects against 4 strains of flu?
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Yes, in April 2012 the FDA approved a new vaccine for the 2012-2013 flu season that is quadrivalent, meaning it contains vaccine for four strains of flu instead of the historically typical inclusion of three strains (trivalent). The new vaccine is called FluMist Quadrivalent. It is in the form of nasal mist and is made by AstraZeneca's MedImmune unit, as is the FluMist Trivalent nasal spray vaccine.
The quadrivalent vaccine protects against an additional strain of Type B influenza, there had typically been two Type A vaccines and one Type B vaccine in the flu vaccinations, but the 2012-2013 quadrivalent protects against two strains of influenza A and two strains of influenza B. Like the trivalent nasal mist, it is approved for healthy people ages 2 to 49. Also like the trivalent mist, it uses attenuated viruses. These are "live", but weakened to make them unable to cause the flu. They are not totally "dead" or inactive, and therefore can provide better immunity in some people who can use live vaccines.
According to the FDA, having an extra strain of influenza B increases the likelihood that the vaccine will protect more children against illness: "Illness caused by Influenza B virus affects children, particularly young and school-aged, more than any other population," said Dr. Karen Midthun, director of the FDA's biologics center.
The side effects are the same as the trivalent FluMist, and include runny or stuffy nose, headaches, and sore throats.
The specific strains in the 2012-2013 quadrivalent vaccine are:
FluMist Quadrivalent contains four vaccine virus strains:
- one Type A/H1N1 strain ("Swine Flu"),
- one Type A/H3N2 strain, and,
- two Type B strains: one from each of the B/Yamagata/16/88 and the B/Victoria/2/87 lineages.
FluMist Quadrivalent is manufactured according to the same process as FluMist.
Trivalent vaccines continue to be available, as in the past, for injected IM, nasal spray, and intradermal administration routes, as well.
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Are there different strands of rabies?
Five antigenic variants of rabies strains are recognized in the United States, but unlike flu strains, one vaccine protects against all strains.
What challenges do vaccine makers face in their attempts to produce an effective vaccine against the flu?
Answer this question… They have to predict which strains of flu will become active months before the flu season begins.
How many different virus strains does the 2013-2014 seasonal live attenuated influenza vaccine have?
Typically the flu vaccine is trivalent, with three strains.
What strains of flu does the 2012 - 2013 flu vaccination protect against?
For the 2012-2013 flu season in the US:This year's trivalent seasonal flu vaccines will protect against the following three strains of influenza:Type A/California/7/2009 (H1N1) ~ the "swine flu vaccine",Type A/Victoria/361/2011 (H3N2), andType B/Wisconsin/1/2010.There is also a new vaccine in the 2012-2013 flu season that is FluMist Quadrivalent. This new vaccine includes two Type B strains of flu instead of one. It contains B strains from both the B/Yamagata/16/88 and the B/Victoria/2/87 lineages in addition to the same strains of the Type A viruses (H1N1 and H3N2) that are included in the trivalent vaccines for this season. See the related questions below for more info.
Are you protected if expired flu vaccine was used?
Probably not. Each year the ingredients in the flu vaccine are different, because each year different strains of the influenza virus are going around. They have to make up a new vaccine each year, to be sure it contains all the right strains that will provide immunity for the kinds of flu that are circulating at that time. Since the vaccine for the seasonal flu for this year in the Northern Hemisphere has just been manufactured and released very recently, it would not seem possible for it to be already expired. If you use a vaccine from a prior year (the more likely scenario if the expiration date on the bottle has already passed), then you will not be fully protected against the strains of virus that will be causing flu this year and may be taking something that could be harmful in addition to providing no protection. You should talk to those at the source of the vaccine to find out why the vaccine would be expired.
If you have the flu already will a flu shot work?
The flu shots are to prevent the flu, not to treat the flu. It will not be necessary to get a flu shot after you have had the flu, if you know what type of flu you had for sure (by lab testing). If you are not sure that it was the seasonal flu or another type of flu (like swine flu), then taking a vaccination will be a good idea to be sure you are protected for the other strains of flu. It will not hurt to take a flu shot for the same type of flu you had, and if the vaccine is for a different type, then you will have that added protection. You should usually wait until after the symptoms of active fever are gone before getting a flu shot, though. Flu shots work by exposing you to a small amount of weakened or dead viruses that cause a specific flu, or sometimes the vaccine will cover several (the seasonal flu vaccine usually contains three strains), so that your body can build immunity to them before being exposed to the full strength viruses in the environment. For the 2009 - 2010 flu season in the US, you are encouraged to get two vaccinations for the flu. One for the seasonal flu (it protects against three flu strains) and one for the A-H1N1/09 swine flu. If you have not had lab confirmation of the type of flu you already have had, then the CDC still recommends you get both vaccines.
Why do vaccine makers have to guess which flu strains will be active months before the flu season begins?
Vaccines take a long time to make.
What antigens will be in the 2010-2011 seasonal flu vaccine?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The flu vaccine protects against the three main flu strains that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season. This year's influenza vaccine contains three new influenza virus strains. They are: * A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus (the same strain as was used for 2009 H1N1 monovalent vaccines); * A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus; * B/Brisbane 60/2008-like antigens. The 2010-11 influenza vaccine can protect you from getting sick from these three viruses, or it can make your illness milder if you get a related but different influenza virus strain. The strain of H1N1 influenza included in the 2010-2011 seasonal flu vaccine in the US is the same that caused the H1N1 Pandemic "Swine" Flu in 2009. A separate vaccination for that will not be required this year.
Is the flu vaccine effective against all types of flu?
No. These viruses mutate rapidly and you can not get one vaccine for all of the subtypes.
Do you have to wait a full year between flu immunizations?
yes, if it is for the same vaccine, but not if it is for a new vaccine against a different flu
Why do you not become immune to flu?
There are many strains of flu virus, & they are constantly mutating; you can only become immune to strains of flu that your body has already encountered, or that you have been immunized against.
Why do we have to get a diffrent flu vaccine every year?
The influenza virus is in a continuous state of mutation. Each year different strains become prominent. If the educated guesses of the disease control folks are accurate, they can produce a vaccine that will be aligned with the proteins on all of the most common strains for a given year. Occasionally they get it wrong and the vaccine is only effective against a fraction of the most common strains. Because the strains are different from year to year, the previous year's vaccination is not very likely to provide immunity for the currently most common strains.
