Current H3N2 Vaccine Efficacy in Australia 10%!

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   Bad news for us in the Northern Hemisphere facing the Aussie flu with this vaccine.  From CIDRAP http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2017/10/news-scan-oct-26-2017
Interim results from Australia put flu vaccine effectiveness at 33%
An
 interim estimate of seasonal flu vaccine effectiveness from Australia 
found moderate protection against 2009 H1N1 and influenza B, but very 
low protection against the H3N2 strain. Researchers, basing their 
findings on two outpatient clinic surveillance networks and information 
through much of September, reported their findings today in Eurosurveillance.
Australia's
 flu season, still under way, has been marked by a record number of 
lab-confirmed flu cases and high numbers of clinic visits, severe 
illnesses, institutional outbreaks, and deaths, with New South Wales 
state especially hard hit, the team wrote. H3N2 has been the dominant 
strain.
Overall vaccine effectiveness (VE) was low at 33% (95% 
confidence interval [CI], 17% to 46%). Against 2009 H1N1, VE was 50% 
(95% CI, 8% to 74%), but for H3N2 it was a statistically insignificant 
10% (95% CI, -16 to 31%). The level for influenza B was 57% (95% CI, 41%
 to 69%).
For H3N2, VE was lowest in older people and those 
vaccinated in the current and prior seasons, a pattern the authors 
didn't see for influenza B, for which vaccine virus composition was also
 the same as the previous season.
The researchers said their 
findings point to ongoing problems with H3N2 candidate vaccine viruses 
grown in eggs, which acquire adaptive changes during the process that 
alter antigenicity. Cell-based vaccines, not as affected by the changes,
 were not available in Australia this year. They also said that 
significant genetic diversity in circulating viruses makes it hard to 
select candidate vaccine viruses with high coverage.They warned 
that if H3N2 viruses dominate the Northern Hemisphere's flu season, the 
seasonal flu vaccine may not provide much protection.

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John L. Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Expert Level Adviser Joined: September 03 2017 Location: New York/USA Status: Offline Points: 1415	Post Options Post Reply Quote John L. Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Current H3N2 Vaccine Efficacy in Australia 10%! Posted: October 26 2017 at 3:33pm
	Bad news for us in the Northern Hemisphere facing the Aussie flu with this vaccine. From CIDRAP http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2017/10/news-scan-oct-26-2017 Interim results from Australia put flu vaccine effectiveness at 33% An interim estimate of seasonal flu vaccine effectiveness from Australia found moderate protection against 2009 H1N1 and influenza B, but very low protection against the H3N2 strain. Researchers, basing their findings on two outpatient clinic surveillance networks and information through much of September, reported their findings today in Eurosurveillance. Australia's flu season, still under way, has been marked by a record number of lab-confirmed flu cases and high numbers of clinic visits, severe illnesses, institutional outbreaks, and deaths, with New South Wales state especially hard hit, the team wrote. H3N2 has been the dominant strain. Overall vaccine effectiveness (VE) was low at 33% (95% confidence interval [CI], 17% to 46%). Against 2009 H1N1, VE was 50% (95% CI, 8% to 74%), but for H3N2 it was a statistically insignificant 10% (95% CI, -16 to 31%). The level for influenza B was 57% (95% CI, 41% to 69%). For H3N2, VE was lowest in older people and those vaccinated in the current and prior seasons, a pattern the authors didn't see for influenza B, for which vaccine virus composition was also the same as the previous season. The researchers said their findings point to ongoing problems with H3N2 candidate vaccine viruses grown in eggs, which acquire adaptive changes during the process that alter antigenicity. Cell-based vaccines, not as affected by the changes, were not available in Australia this year. They also said that significant genetic diversity in circulating viruses makes it hard to select candidate vaccine viruses with high coverage. They warned that if H3N2 viruses dominate the Northern Hemisphere's flu season, the seasonal flu vaccine may not provide much protection.
	John L.