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Last Updated: Oct 6, 2008 - 12:00:27 PM |
CDC Panel: Thou shalt get flu vaccine
WEDNESDAY FEB 27, 2008 (Foodconsumer.org) -- A panel of federal vaccine advisers voted Friday unanimously to recommend that all U.S. children aged from six months to 18 years should get flu vaccine every year, Reuters reported.
The panelists, which advised the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine issues, gave their opinions at its regular meeting in Atlanta and urged their recommendations to be heeded as quickly as possible, preferably prior to the 2009-2010 flu season.
The panel's advice came roughly two weeks after the U.S. health officials at the CDC showed concerns about the efficacy of the flu vaccine that does not well-match the strains that are circulating currently in all the 50 states.
As estimated, large percentages of flu strains are not covered by the flu vaccine, meaning that vaccine's efficacy is in doubt. And indeed, it has been observed that some people who got flu shots still came down with the illness that often causes only inconvenience.
However, Dr. Joe Bresee of the CDC's influenza division said early "While a less-than-ideal virus match between the viruses in the vaccine and those circulating viruses can reduce vaccine effectiveness, we know from past influenza studies that the vaccine can still protect enough to make illness milder or prevent flu-related complications."
Early this month, the CDC released news saying that 6 children died from flu complications, but the agency did not elaborate any case. Sensitive health observers took a note of this and predicted earlier that the CDC's vaccine panel in the regular meeting this year would make their recommendations for flu vaccine in a way to cover all people.
The flu vaccine is currently recommended for children aged 6 months to 5 years and adults aged over 50 and those who are at higher risk of flu complications. The CDC has reported that the annual death toll from flu complications is 36,000, but one unsubstantiated source disputed the claim saying that the real casualty from flu is probably about 1 to 1.5% of these 36,000. The rest was due to pneumonia.
Reuters reported Feb 22 citing the CDC as saying that 22 children had died in this flu season. In comparison, 68 children died in a milder flu season last year. Out of those, 39 were said to be aged 5 to 17 among whom more than 90 percent did not get vaccinated.
The data look seemingly compelling to justify that those between 5 and 17 should also be vaccinated against flu. But the death toll does not mean that those who did not get flu shots are more vulnerable. It's just that the overwhelming majority of this group were not vaccinated. More people lead to more deaths, but the death rates in both vaccinated and non-vaccinated remain unknown.
Even in the group aged 6 months to 2 years, the inoculation rate was only 20% during the 2006-2007 period, according to Reuters reporting today, a rate that has made CDC officials to show their worry last year that the pharmaceutical companies may cease producing the flu vaccine because of the low usage rate. One top official at the CDC indicated last year that even for the sake of the vaccine makers, people should go get flu shots.
The current vaccine covers three strains, two influenza A strains, known as H3N2 and N1N1 and a "B" strain. Flu viruses keep mutating, rendering the flu vaccine useless in many cases if not all. The mutation keeps health observers wondering if the flu vaccine would ever be effective enough to help the vaccinated. Making a new vaccine takes at least a few months if not longer while the viruses can mutate at any moment.
Reuters reported on Feb 22 that the issue on the mutation of flu viruses has drawn the attention from the World Health organization which calls for reformulating the vaccine to match the currently circulating strains. And the FDA was cited as saying it agreed with the WHO on the issue and said all three strains in the vaccine will be updated.
In any event, the new recommendations of flu vaccine will potentially incur a cost for about 30 million of children. About 59 million children are eligible for the vaccine, but many have already received it.
Following the CDC panel's recommendations, the states will likely soon work their ways to implement the requirement for this flu vaccine for school children. Those who want to let the natural immune system work its way to fight the illness may resort to state laws that allow exemptions based on religious and philosophical beliefs.
© 2004-2008 by foodconsumer.org unless otherwise specified
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