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With the efforts put into mass vaccination against Covid in Spain, the pharmaceutical industry is already beginning to think as well in influenza antigen which will have to be inoculated into the population next winter. A vaccine that can be less effective than other years.
In late February, the World Health Organization (WHO) provides pharmaceutical companies with the strains that are currently in circulation. It is from these that the industry develops the antigens that will be inoculated next winter.
This year, flu viruses have circulated less due to hygiene measures and movement restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as by the high vaccination rate.
In fact, in Spain, so far, 959 cases compared to 173,939 last year. Even globally influenza activity remains at lower levels than expected for this time of year.
Having drastically reduced flu cases, the pharmaceutical industry faces a problem: “The vaccine will be less likely to be effective against the flu that may come next winter, “industry sources told Invertia.
the development
The development of the flu vaccine for next season “will be the same as in other years.” As mentioned, the WHO provides at the end of February the strains that are circulating the most at the moment. With them, the pharmaceutical companies develop what will be the antigen to be inoculated during the next winter.
Specifically, the organization provides four strains (Two type A and two type B) which are the ones that will most likely circulate during the next season. “They can be one, two or even combinations between the identified strains,” pharmaceutical industry sources have indicated.
We must remember that flu vaccines “they are not perfect“Precisely because of virus mutations. Hence the efficiency never reaches 100% and is around 60%. And this year, the effectiveness may be even lower due to the low circulation of viruses. .
Still, from the pharmaceutical industry they do not anticipate shocks in this regard. After all, the WHO, through its surveillance centers, “is determining which strains are circulating and, although there have been fewer cases this year, viruses have been detected.”
generalized decrease
the generalized decrease of the circulation of influenza viruses has been observed worldwide. Despite this, its circulation is still monitored in all countries, now especially in the northern hemisphere, as we are in seasonal flu season.
For the time being, low levels of influenza activity persist, which could be due to the control and social distancing measures still in place for the control of the Covid-19 pandemic, although other factors may have contributed.
From the Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII) explain that the health crisis generated one disruption of medical care and the ability to perform tests in the WHO European Region which adversely affected the reporting of epidemiological and virological data at the end of the 2019-20 season.
As the pandemic continues today, “the flu data presented have interpret yourself with caution“Especially in terms of seasonal patterns,” they warn.