As more and more people begin to panic about the coronavirus from hearing about the rising death toll or a new nearby case, there is another major virus that continues to spread killing many more. Now I’m sure you’re probably thinking, if there’s another virus that is so large then why are we not hearing about it and panicking? Well you most likely are hearing about it and just not realizing it as it has continued to spread for years. It’s the flu. The flu is a major virus that is very common and kills thousands every year…. (pause for dramatic effect)…. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE A YEAR. And just because the coronavirus is spreading, this year is no different. CNN reported that from this season alone, 10,000 people have already been killed. This flu season is predicted to be one of the worst in a long time. Greaaaaattttt. (:
According to an article the Washington Post produced, there are two main types of the flu, Influenza A and Influenza B. Typically the main type that effects the public is Influenza A and Influence B becomes more prominent later in the season. BUUUT of course this year it’s different. Influenza B is the main type affecting the nation. Washington Post, said that it actually started hitting hard in the South and then later spreading to the nation. Yeah, I know right, you’re probably thinking of crap I live in the south, well me too sister. So we better go ahead and start lysol-ing everything. Y’all know how I am with that Lysol. Not only has Influenza B hit earlier the entire flu season has started earlier. Typically it starts later in October…buuut it started in JULY last year (Washington Post). Yeah, a whole like what three months earlier!
According to another CNN article, the 2017-2018 flu season was the worst in 40 years and this year is on track to become worse than that. A main target of the flu is younger children. The CDC began keeping track of those being killed by the flu over 17 years ago. This season there has already been a report of 27 children that have been killed which is the highest number ever reported by the CDC (CNN). Which is interesting because we just talked about this in class and Dr. Cramer said this fact, as well as the fact that there has been such a high number of children killed. A way I found that could prevent this is having children get a vaccine! The CDC recommends that children 6 months and over get the vaccine. Honestly, this was younger than I was expecting since we had talked about normal microbiota not being developed until at least 3 years of age. So I think it is interesting that the CDC wants to expose children that young to the flu vaccine.
Effectiveness of today’s Vaccine
Speaking of the vaccine…. apparently the effectiveness is not what I thought it was. In class Dr. Cramer talked about the flu vaccine can be as low as only 30% effective. Which blew my mind, this whole time I’m thinking, oh yeah I got my flu shot like it has to be 100% effective. I am not going to lie, I did start questioning it recently. Like if it is mutating each year, is there just some unlucky guy who has to get the flu first for the rest of us to get our vaccine. But, Dr. Cramer talked about how it is essentially just a game of chance of which strain will become the dominant one the next year and scientists using their prediction to create the new vaccine. After searching multiple articles and the CDC website, I found the Contagion Live, Infectious Diseases Today, which is a new sources giving updated information about the different diseases happening. They said the CDC didn’t have reports of how effective the vaccine is this year since the season is still in beginning stages. Which I mean I can understand since they were really just guessing which strand the flu was going to be. But couldn’t like they see the reports of the flu and which strains are being reported most and compare it to the strains in the vaccine? I don’t know, I’m not a microbiologist. Well according to Dr. Cramer I am now, but I’m not on that level if you know what I mean. But either way getting a vaccine is more effective than not! Plus, like it’s normally given out for free so like why not? I know I got mine! Did you get yours?
Mo's Microbes 