Types Of Flu Vaccine This Year

Type Of Flu Vaccine For Older People

You will be offered the adjuvanted Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine . It’s also known by the brand name Fluad Tetra. This is a 1 dose vaccine.

Fluad Tetra is the recommended flu vaccine for people aged 65 and older. As we get older, our immune systems may not respond to vaccines the same way. ‘Adjuvanted’ means that the vaccine has an extra ingredient that makes it more effective for people aged 65 and older.

But, it is also safe to get the Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine. All flu vaccines offer protection against flu and reduce the impact of flu if you were to catch it.

What Kinds Of Flu Vaccines Are Available

CDC recommends use of any licensed, age-appropriate influenza vaccine during the 2021-2022 influenza season. Available influenza vaccines include quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine , recombinant influenza vaccine , or live attenuated influenza vaccine . No preference is expressed for any influenza vaccine over another.

Quadrivalent flu vaccines include:

Are any of the available flu vaccines recommended over others?

For the 2021-2022 flu season, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends annual influenza vaccination for everyone 6 months and older with any licensed, influenza vaccine that is appropriate for the recipients age and health status, including inactivated influenza vaccine , recombinant influenza vaccine , or live attenuated nasal spray influenza vaccine with no preference expressed for any one vaccine over another.

There are many vaccine options to choose from, but the most important thing is for all people 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine every year. If you have questions about which vaccine is best for you, talk to your doctor or other health care professional.

Who Should Vaccinate?

Everyone 6 months of age and older should get an influenza vaccine every season with rare exception. CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has made this recommendation since the 2010-2011 influenza season.

More information is available at Who Needs a Flu Vaccine.

Who Should Not Be Vaccinated?

When should I get vaccinated?

Allergic Reactions To The Flu Vaccine

It’s very rare for anyone to have a serious allergic reaction to the flu vaccine. If this does happen, it usually happens within minutes.

The person who vaccinates you will be trained to deal with allergic reactions and treat them immediately.

Anyone can report a suspected side effect of a vaccine through the Yellow Card Scheme.

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Do Different Types Of Flu Viruses Hit The Population Each Year

Different strains of the flu virus mutate over time and replace the older strains of the virus. This is why it’s important to get a flu shot each year to ensure that your body develops immunity to the most recent strains of the virus.

As determined by the CDC, the viruses in a flu shot and FluMist vaccine can change each year based on international surveillance and scientists’ estimations about which types and strains of the flu will be most potent that year. Previously, all flu vaccines protected against three influenza viruses: one Influenza A virus, one Influenza A virus, and one Influenza B virus. Today, FluMist and some traditional flu shots generally cover up to four strains: two Influenza A viruses and two Influenza B viruses.

About two weeks after getting a flu shot or FluMist, antibodies that provide protection against the flu viruses develop in your body. That said, FluMist is also not recommended for use during the 2017-2018 season because it might not be effective.

If You’re Age 65 And Older

The choices include the regular flu shot , the high-dose flu shot , the quadrivalent flu shot and the egg-free shot called Flucelvax.

Should you get the high-dose vaccine or standard one?

Talk to your doctor about whether you need a high-dose vaccine, but studies do show that people who receive the high-dose vaccine produce more antibodies infection-fighting proteins in the blood than those who get the regular dose. That’s important because vaccines work by provoking the immune system’s defenses against the target disease, and older people tend to mount a weaker response.

In fact, the high-dose vaccine was developed to address concerns that the standard-dose shot doesn’t work very well in people 65 and older, the very group most likely to be hospitalized or die from flu complications. Last year, for example, the CDC reported that season’s regular vaccine lowered an older person’s risk of flu by only 27 percent, an unexpectedly low level of effectiveness compared with a 63 percent reduction for people ages 50 to 64.

Whether the high-dose shot’s effect on blood antibodies will translate into substantially fewer people getting sick is not yet clear. But signs are good that it offers at least some advantage. In August the vaccine’s maker, Sanofi Pasteur, issued preliminary findings from an ongoing clinical trial showing the higher dose increased flu prevention by 24 percent over the standard dose.

What about the new quadrivalent vaccine?

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This Years Flu Vaccine Is A Major Mismatch Researcher Says

Dec. 17, 2021 — Flu vaccines arenât providing as much as much protection as hoped for against the most widely circulating strain of influenza, a new study says, but it appears the vaccines will still prevent severe illness in people who are infected.

The vaccines were designed far in advance to fight the flu strains expected to dominate the United States during the 2021-22 flu season: H3N2, H1N1, and two strains of influenza B.

H3N2, the major strain, mutated in a way that means the flu vaccines donât match up against it very well, Scott Hensley, PhD, a professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania who led the study, told CNN.

“From our lab-based studies, it looks like a major mismatch,” he said.

That mismatch may have contributed to influenza outbreaks on college campuses.

An outbreak at the University of Michigan affected more than 700 people, with about 26% of those who tested positive having been vaccinated against the flu, according to CNN.

Though vaccines may not stop H3N2, it looks like theyâll prevent serious infection from that strain, the researchers said.

âStudies have clearly shown that seasonal influenza vaccines consistently prevent hospitalizations and deaths even in years where there are large antigenic mismatch,â they wrote on medRxiv, an internet site that publishes reports that are yet to be peer-reviewed.

Show Sources

CNN. âFlu vaccines don’t match the main circulating flu virus strain, researchers find.â

The Best Flu Vaccine For People Over 65

As we get older, our immune systems have a harder time responding to illnesses and vaccines. To help provide better protection, there are a few recommended options for older adults this year:

• Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent also known as the high-dose flu shot

• Fluad Quadrivalent

• Flublok Quadrivalent

If one of these three vaccines isnt available, you should still get vaccinated with another flu vaccine thats FDA-approved for your age range. All flu vaccines are effective against the flu. Its better to be vaccinated than to try to wait for a particular flu vaccine to become available.

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Flu Strains Explained And How The Vaccine Works

As we approach flu season, UAB Medicine already is getting questions about the different strains of the flu virus and the vaccine itself. With expert input from Rachael Lee, MD, assistant professor in the UAB Division of Infectious Diseases, we explain the differences in flu strains, including how many strains exist and what the flu shot will cover this year. We also answer some common questions, such as whether the flu shot for one strain reduces the risk of contracting another strain and whether flu vaccines are reissued after the virus mutates during the course of the season.

Understanding Flu Types

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , there are four types of flu viruses: influenza A, B, C, and D. The seasonal flu viruses that humans face every winter season in the United States are caused by human influenza A. Influenza A viruses are categorized as either the hemagglutinin subtype or the neuraminidase subtype based on the proteins involved, and there are 18 distinct subtypes of hemagglutinin and 11 distinct subtypes of neuraminidase. Influenza A is the primary cause of flu epidemics, and they constantly change and are difficult to predict.

This Years Flu Shot

Dr. Lee says this years flu vaccine covers four strains of the flu that are recommended by the World Health Organization. The strains recommended for vaccination for the 2020-2021 flu season in the northern hemisphere are:

Flu Shot Effectiveness

Benefits of the Vaccine

When Should I Get My Flu Vaccine

Flu vaccine effectiveness can have a lot to do with when you get it. Its recommended to get your flu vaccine about 2 weeks before flu season begins in your area preferably by the end of October. However, if you get the flu vaccine too early July or August, for instance you may not be protected for the entire flu season.

While September or October are the ideal times to get your flu vaccine, its still recommended to get it later than that if you were unable to do so earlier. If youre unsure when flu season begins in your area, talk to your local pharmacist or healthcare provider.

If youve recently received or will be receiving a COVID-19 vaccine including booster doses you dont have to wait a certain time to get the flu vaccine. You can even get them on the same day, if thats more convenient. These two vaccines arent known to interfere with each other.

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Variation On The Conventional

With the well-accepted limitations and deficiencies in the current influenza vaccine system, substantial resources have been spent trying to improve it. The improvements that are most advanced, many of which are already in use, are those that contribute incremental, but important, advances to the current TIV and LAIV platforms.

Rapid Response To Pandemic Flu

The rapid development, production, and distribution of pandemic influenza vaccines could potentially save millions of lives during an influenza pandemic. Due to the short time frame between identification of a pandemic strain and need for vaccination, researchers are looking at novel technologies for vaccine production that could provide better “real-time” access and be produced more affordably, thereby increasing access for people living in low- and moderate-income countries, where an influenza pandemic may likely originate, such as live attenuated technology and recombinant technologies . As of July 2009, more than seventy known clinical trials have been completed or are ongoing for pandemic influenza vaccines. In September 2009, the FDA approved four vaccines against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus , and expected the initial vaccine lots to be available within the following month.

In January 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Audenz as a vaccine for the H5N1 flu virus. Audenz is a vaccine indicated for active immunization for the prevention of disease caused by the influenza A virus H5N1 subtype contained in the vaccine. Audenz is approved for use in persons six months of age and older at increased risk of exposure to the influenza A virus H5N1 subtype contained in the vaccine.

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Best Timing For Vaccination

The timing of vaccination should aim to achieve the highest level of protection during the peak of the influenza season. Flu season in Queensland is typically from June to September, with the peak usually in August.

Vaccinating from April provides protection before the peak season takes place. While protection is generally expected to last for the whole season, the best protection against influenza occurs within the first 3 to 4 months following vaccination.

It is never too late to vaccinate since influenza can circulate in the community all year round. Vaccination should continue to be offered as long as influenza viruses are circulating and a valid vaccine is available.

It is also important to remind people that the vaccine is not immediately effective and it generally takes 10 to 14 days to be fully protected.

Revaccination late in the same year for individuals who have already received a vaccination is not routinely recommended, although not contraindicated. Revaccination may be considered for people travelling to the Northern Hemisphere in late 2020, who were vaccinated in early 2020. An individual’s risk factors, risk of disease and current circulating virus strains should be taken into consideration before recommending a second dose. A second dose is not funded under the National Immunisation Program and the individual will need to pay for the vaccine and consultation fee, if applicable.

What Vaccines Are Available For The 2021

There are nine vaccines that have been approved and released by the FDA for the 2021-2022 flu season. This year, all FDA-approved flu vaccines are quadrivalent meaning they protect against four different strains of influenza . Heres a rundown of the available flu vaccines for the year.

Its important to note that pharmacies and healthcare providers may only carry a few brands of flu vaccine not all nine that are FDA-approved. If you are interested in or know you need a certain flu vaccine, its best to call ahead and see if your preferred vaccine is available.

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Are Any Of The Available Flu Vaccines Recommended Over The Others

For the 2021-2022 flu season, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends annual influenza vaccination for everyone 6 months and older with any licensed, influenza vaccine that is appropriate for the recipients age and health status, including inactivated influenza vaccine , recombinant influenza vaccine , or live attenuated nasal spray influenza vaccine with no preference expressed for any one vaccine over another.

There are many vaccine options to choose from, but the most important thing is for all people 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine every year. If you have questions about which vaccine is best for you, talk to your doctor or other health care professional.

A Vs B: Vaccine Coverage

The seasonal flu vaccine is developed many months in advance of flu season. The viruses selected for the vaccine are based on research into which strains will likely be most common.

Sometimes the circulating influenza viruses can mutate from one season to the next. Since experts must select the viruses to include in the vaccine months before flu season, there may not be a good match between the vaccine and the circulating viruses.

This can lead to a decrease in the effectiveness of the vaccine. But even when this happens, the vaccine still offers some protection.

Flu vaccines can be either trivalent or quadrivalent.

A trivalent vaccine protects against three flu viruses:

• H1N1 influenza A virus
• H3N2 influenza A virus
• influenza B virus

A quadrivalent vaccine protects against the same three viruses as the trivalent vaccine plus protection against an additional influenza B virus.

Influenza C virus isnt included in influenza vaccines.

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The Standard Flu Shot Protects Against Four Strains

Most influenza vaccines in America today are created to fight off four different strains of flu virus, according to the CDC. In fact, the CDC says about 99 percent of the vaccine supply produced for the 20202021 flu season is quadrivalent . The quadrivalent immunizations protect against two A strains of the virus and two B strains .

The first flu vaccine, developed in the late 1930s, targeted a single strain of influenza A, according to an article published in September 2016 in the Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene. Then, in 1942, scientists discovered influenza B viruses and created a bivalent immunization.

In 1978, a major mutation of the A flu virus, H1N1, swept the globe and spurred researchers to quickly formulate a trivalent vaccine. Trivalent vaccines became the primary type of influenza inoculation for decades. They would feature two A strains and one B strain. Then, in 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Fluarix, the first quadrivalent vaccine in the United States.

It always puzzled me why, for whatever reason, the vaccine manufacturers had decided to only put one or the other B strain in , says James Conway, MD, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. Companies gradually started shifting over to making quadrivalent vaccines where they would have two As and two Bs, and it became apparent that that was a wiser way to go.

Who Can Get Quadrivalent Flu Vaccine

All flu vaccines in the United States for the 2021-2022 season are quadrivalent vaccines. Different vaccines are approved for different age groups. There is a quadrivalent flu shot that can be given to children as young as 6 months old. Flucelvax Quadrivalent is now approved for people 6 months and older. More information on approved flu vaccines for the 2020-2021 flu season, and age indications for each vaccine are available in CDCs Table: U.S. Influenza Vaccine Products for the 2020-2021 Season.

The quadrivalent nasal spray vaccine is approved for use in non-pregnant individuals, 2 years through 49 years old. People with certain medical conditions should not receive the nasal spray influenza vaccine.

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How Effective Is The Flu Vaccine

The flu vaccine gives the best protection against flu.

Flu vaccines help protect against the main types of flu viruses, although there’s still a chance you might get flu.

If you do get flu after vaccination, it’s likely to be milder and not last as long.

Having the flu vaccine will also stop you spreading flu to other people who may be more at risk of serious problems from flu.

It can take 10 to 14 days for the flu vaccine to work.