Materiały źródłowe

• #1 Overview of Influenza Testing Methods | Influenza (Flu) | CDC

  https://www.cdc.gov/flu/hcp/testing-methods/index.html

  Influenza virus testing is recommended for all patients with suspected influenza who are being admitted to hospital. […] Clinicians should understand the limitations of influenza virus tests and how to properly interpret the results, particularly negative results. […] Diagnostic tests available for detection of influenza viruses in respiratory specimens include molecular assays and antigen detection tests. […] The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) recommends use of rapid influenza molecular assays over rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) for detection of influenza viruses in respiratory specimens of outpatients. IDSA recommends use of RT-PCR or other molecular assays for detection of influenza viruses in respiratory specimens of hospitalized patients. […] Rapid molecular assays are a kind of molecular influenza diagnostic test to detect influenza virus nucleic acids in upper respiratory tract specimens with high sensitivity (90-95%) and specificity.

• #1 Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests | Influenza (Flu) | CDC

  https://www.cdc.gov/flu/hcp/testing-methods/clinician_guidance_ridt.html

  Rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) are immunoassays that can identify the presence of influenza A and B viral nucleoprotein antigens in respiratory specimens and display the result in a qualitative way (positive vs. negative). […] However, RIDTs have limited sensitivity to detect influenza viruses in respiratory specimens compared to RT-PCR or viral culture and negative RIDT test results should be interpreted with caution given the potential for false negative results, especially during peak influenza activity in a community. […] RIDTs may be used to help with diagnostic and treatment decisions for patients in clinical settings, such as whether to prescribe antiviral medications. However, due to the limited sensitivities, negative results of RIDTs do not exclude influenza virus infection in patients with signs and symptoms suggestive of influenza.

• #1 Influenza: Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology

  https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/219557-overview

  Influenza traditionally has been diagnosed on the basis of clinical criteria, but rapid diagnostic tests, which have a high degree of specificity but only moderate sensitivity, are becoming more widely used. The gold standard for diagnosing influenza A and B is a viral culture of nasopharyngeal samples or throat samples. In elderly or high-risk patients with pulmonary symptoms, perform chest radiography to exclude pneumonia. […] Rapid diagnostic tests for influenza that can provide results within 30 minutes can help confirm the diagnosis. […] The gold standard for confirming influenza virus infection is reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing or viral culture of nasopharyngeal or throat secretions. However, culture may require 3 to 7 days, yielding results long after the patient has left the clinic, office, or emergency department, and well past the time when drug therapy could be efficacious.

• #1 Diagnostic discrimination of live attenuated influenza vaccine strains and community-acquired pathogenic strains in clinical samples

  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7127513/

  Live vaccines can generate false-positive results on common influenza assays including reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR), culture and antigen tests. This threatens the integrity of epidemiological data and may misdirect treatment and control efforts. We report the development of RT-PCR tests that distinguish live FluMist vaccine (FMV) strains from circulating influenza strains in clinical samples. […] The vaccine-discriminatory RT-PCR methods described here provide the first test designed to distinguish FMV strains from circulating strains. The results show that the test is effective, and demonstrate the importance of such tests in the age of live vaccines. […] Given that our study population (military recruits) is highly vaccinated and our samples are generally collected during training within approximately 10 weeks of vaccination, the risk of generating false-positive influenza results due to FMV shedding is significant.

• #1

  https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/influenza-(seasonal)

  Most cases of human influenza are clinically diagnosed. However, during periods of low influenza activity or outside of epidemics situations, the infection of other respiratory viruses (e.g. SARS-CoV-2, rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza and adenovirus) can also present as influenza-like illness (ILI), which makes the clinical differentiation of influenza from other pathogens difficult. […] Collection of appropriate respiratory samples and the application of a laboratory diagnostic test is required to establish a definitive diagnosis. Proper collection, storage and transport of respiratory specimens is the essential first step for laboratory detection of influenza virus infections. Laboratory confirmation is commonly performed using direct antigen detection, virus isolation, or detection of influenza-specific RNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Various guidance on the laboratory techniques is published and updated by WHO. […] Rapid diagnostic tests are used in clinical settings, but they have lower sensitivity compared to RT-PCR methods and their reliability depends largely on the conditions under which they are used.

• #1 Flu Season This Year: What You Need To Know About Flu Vaccines, Symptoms & When To See A Doctor | University Hospitals

  https://www.uhhospitals.org/services/flu-treatment-services

  Flu vaccines are available now. […] You are encouraged to get a flu vaccine every year, preferably before November. […] The flu vaccine is updated each season as needed to protect against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. […] Even if you get a strain of the flu not covered by the vaccine, you will experience milder symptoms and recover faster if you get a flu shot this season. […] Flu vaccination is especially important for people age 65 years and older because they are at high risk of developing serious complications from flu. […] If this is you, contact your doctor as early as possible in your illness. Your doctor can prescribe an antiviral, which you should take as soon as symptoms start. Antivirals can lessen the severity and duration of the flu.

• #1 Flu shot: Your best bet for avoiding influenza

  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/in-depth/flu-shots/art-20048000

  Getting a flu vaccine is the best way to prevent the flu and its complications for almost everyone. The flu vaccine can lower the risk of getting the flu. It also can lower the risk of having serious illness from the flu and needing to stay in the hospital or dying of the flu. […] The flu vaccine is often available in the U.S. around September. […] Once you get a flu vaccine, it takes up to two weeks to build immunity. […] Flu viruses change quickly. Last year’s vaccine may not protect you from this year’s viruses. New flu vaccines are released every year to keep up with rapidly changing flu viruses. […] Getting a yearly flu vaccine lowers the chances of having serious complications or dying of the flu. This is especially true for people who are at high risk of flu complications. […] Vaccines called high-dose or adjuvanted flu vaccines can help people have a stronger immune response against influenza.

• #1 Flu Season This Year: What You Need To Know About Flu Vaccines, Symptoms & When To See A Doctor | University Hospitals

  https://www.uhhospitals.org/services/flu-treatment-services

  The flu vaccine offers the best defense against flu and its potentially serious consequences and can reduce the spread of flu to others. […] It takes up to two weeks to get full protection from the influenza shot, so get your vaccination as early as possible. […] The flu and COVID-19 are contagious respiratory illnesses but are caused by different viruses. Testing may be needed to help confirm a diagnosis.

• #1 Influenza (flu) – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic

  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351725

  Mayo Clinic offers flu shots in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. […] To diagnose the flu, also called influenza, your healthcare professional does a physical exam, looks for symptoms of flu and possibly orders a test that detects flu viruses. […] But a test for flu may be suggested to help guide your care or to know if you could spread the virus to others. A flu test may be done by a pharmacy, your healthcare professional’s office or in the hospital. […] Types of flu tests you may have include: […] Molecular tests. These tests look for genetic material from the flu virus. Polymerase chain reaction tests, shortened to PCR tests, are molecular tests. […] Antigen tests. These tests look for viral proteins called antigens. Rapid influenza diagnostic tests are one example of antigen tests. […] It’s possible to have a test to diagnose both flu and other respiratory illness, such as COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019. You may have both COVID-19 and influenza at the same time.

• #1 Flu vaccine and cancer treatment | Treatment for cancer | Cancer Research UK

  https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/treatment/cancer-drugs/flu-vaccine

  Cancer or its treatment can lower your resistance to infection and make you more likely to catch flu. The flu vaccination makes it less likely that you will catch flu. […] If you get flu and have low immunity, you are more likely to become very ill. For example, you could develop a complication such as a chest infection (pneumonia). […] The flu vaccination makes it less likely that you will catch flu. If you have had the vaccine and do get flu, there is a greater chance of a quicker recovery. […] Some cancer treatments lower immunity and lower your resistance to flu. […] Your GP or cancer specialist will usually recommend that you have the flu vaccine if one of these applies to you. […] Cancer specialists generally recommend that you should have the flu vaccine before you start any cancer treatment.

• #1 Flu Vaccine Guidance for Patients with Immune Deficiency

  https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/immuno-deficiency/flu-vaccine-guidance

  Flu Vaccine Guidance for Patients with Immune DeficiencyWhile vaccination is the best tool for prevention of the flu, should patients with immune deficiency be given the vaccine? […] The live vaccines should not be given to patients with immune deficiencies. This includes FluMist live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) which is given as a nasal spray rather than a shot. […] It is important to emphasize that all patients with immune deficiencies and all members of their families or other household contacts should get the killed vaccine for influenza. […] Although there is the chance that some patients with immune deficiencies may not have a good immune response, the killed vaccine does not pose any danger.

• #1 Flu prevention and vaccine information | Mass.gov

  https://www.mass.gov/info-details/flu-prevention-and-vaccine-information

  Everyone 6 months of age and older should be vaccinated for flu. It is especially important that the people in one of the groups listed below get a flu shot every year as they are more likely to get severely ill with flu. […] People 65 years of age or older are recommended to receive the following three preferential flu vaccines: Fluzone High-Dose Seasonal Influenza Vaccine, Recombinant Influenza Vaccine, and Adjuvanted Influenza vaccine. If none of these three preferred vaccines are available, any age-appropriate flu vaccine may be used. […] Flu vaccination has been found to reduce deaths in children. A study in Pediatrics was the first of its kind to show that influenza vaccination is effective in preventing influenza-associated deaths among children. […] Although the flu vaccine won’t prevent every case of the flu, getting an annual vaccination is the best way to reduce your risk of serious illness. Getting the flu vaccine may make illness milder.

• #1 High-dose, adjuvanted flu vaccines better protect seniors from symptoms, hospital stays, study finds | CIDRAP

  https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-vaccines/high-dose-adjuvanted-flu-vaccines-better-protect-seniors-symptoms-hospital-stays

  High-dose (HD) and adjuvanted influenza vaccines offered the best protection for people aged 65 years and older against symptoms and hospitalization during the 2022-23 flu season, concludes a real-world study published this week in Clinical Infectious Diseases. […] Our research showed that there were advantages for older people to receive high-dose or adjuvanted flu vaccines over the standard vaccine. […] „Our research showed that there were advantages for older people to receive high-dose or adjuvanted flu vaccines over the standard vaccine,” lead author Jennifer Ku, PhD, MPH, an infectious disease epidemiologist, said in a Kaiser Permanente news release. „While seasonal variation exists, it is expected that seniors will continue to benefit from flu vaccines that are stronger than the traditional standard-dose vaccines.”

• #1 Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests | Influenza (Flu) | CDC

  https://www.cdc.gov/flu/hcp/testing-methods/clinician_guidance_ridt.html

  Negative results of RIDTs do not exclude influenza virus infection and influenza should still be considered in a patient if clinical suspicion is high based upon history, signs, symptoms and clinical examination. […] RIDTs are not recommended for hospitalized patients with suspected influenza; molecular influenza assays such as RT-PCR are recommended for testing hospitalized patients. However, empiric antiviral treatment should be initiated as soon as possible for hospitalized patients with suspected influenza without the need to wait for any influenza testing results. […] If RIDTs are used in these settings, clinical specimens should also be sent for influenza testing by viral culture and RT-PCR to provide detailed information on specific influenza A virus subtypes and strains, and antiviral susceptibility data and to verify RIDT test results.

• #1 Medical Countermeasures | BARDA INFLUENZA & EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES

  https://www.medicalcountermeasures.gov/barda/influenza-and-emerging-infectious-diseases/

  The Influenza Diagnostics and Devices Program funds advanced development of accurate, robust, and accessible influenza tests to inform early treatment decisions, patient management, and public health interventions. […] To enhance the effectiveness of influenza diagnostic tests, BARDA’s influenza diagnostic strategy focuses on developing tests that: […] Facilitate test-to-treat scenarios (e.g., provide accurate and rapid results to inform early consideration for antiviral drug use), […] Differentiate between Influenza A, Influenza B, and other respiratory viruses (like SARS-CoV-2 and RSV), and […] Enable the detection of novel influenza viruses. […] This program has supported development of numerous influenza and SARS-CoV-2 tests that have achieved FDA 510(k) clearances, with many more tests in development.

• #1 Universal Influenza Vaccine Research | NIAID: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

  https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/universal-influenza-vaccine-research

  Enrollment in a Phase 1 trial of a new investigational universal influenza vaccine candidate has begun at the National Institutes of Healths Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The trial is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, and will evaluate the investigational vaccine for safety and its ability to elicit an immune response. […] A first-in-human, Phase 1 trial assessing the safety and immunogenicity of an investigational nanoparticle influenza vaccine designed to provide long-lasting protection against multiple flu virus strains has begun at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Healthy participants 18 to 50 years old will receive either a licensed seasonal influenza vaccine or the […] Developing a universal influenza vaccine is a significant priority for NIAID scientists. Two new studies describe a unique candidate developed by NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center that performed well in a Phase 1 clinical trial. […] A clinical trial of an innovative universal influenza vaccine candidate known as H1ssF_3928 was developed by scientists at NIAIDs Vaccine Research Center.

• #1 Longhorn Advances a Scalable Universal Flu Vaccine

  https://www.contagionlive.com/view/longhorn-advances-a-scalable-universal-flu-vaccine

  Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics has introduced a novel single-composite peptide vaccine that offers broad protection against human, avian, and swine influenza strains including pandemic variants such as H5N1. The unconjugated vaccine combines highly conserved epitopes from key influenza proteins, hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA), and matrix proteins (M1, M2, M2e), with the ALFQ adjuvant to stimulate a strong immune response. […] In preclinical trials, the vaccine demonstrated robust serum IgG1 antibody responses, effectively neutralizing and inhibiting hemagglutination in both Group 1 and Group 2 influenza viruses. The inclusion of a universal T cell epitope further supports the development of long-term immune protection. […] A universal vaccine could play multiple roles in pandemic preparedness. It could be stockpiled for deployment once a pandemic strain is identified, providing at least a baseline level of protection while a strain-specific vaccine is developed. It could also replace the seasonal vaccine to generate coverage in advance of a pandemic and potentially prevent pandemics from ever happening.

• #1 2024-25 Flu Season – Vaccinate Your Family 2024-25 Flu Season – Vaccinate Your Family

  https://vaccinateyourfamily.org/vaccines-diseases/current-flu-season/

  Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months and older each year – get your flu shot before flu begins circulating in your community for the best protection. […] Annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone six months and older, with rare exception. Flu vaccines have been updated this season to help protect against three circulating strains of flu. […] Especially with flu and COVID circulating together – along with other respiratory diseases like RSV – it’s important to be properly diagnosed to determine appropriate treatment. There are a number of tests available to determine if you have the flu. Your healthcare provider may test you for flu or diagnose you based on your symptoms. […] Flu vaccination can be convenient and free! Vaccines are available at doctors’ offices, pharmacies, clinics, local health departments, schools, and grocery stores.

• #1 2024-2025 Flu Vaccine Effectiveness: What Do We Know?

  https://www.flu.com/Articles/2024/2024-2025-Flu-Vaccine-Effectiveness

  With the flu season now well underway in the Northern Hemisphere, you might be wondering about the effectiveness of this seasons flu vaccine. […] Each flu season, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts studies to see how well flu vaccines for that season are working. […] According to the newly released CDC report, vaccine effectiveness against any influenza in children and adolescents was between 32% and 60% in outpatient settings, and between 63% and 78% against influenza-associated hospitalization. For adults aged 18 and older, vaccine effectiveness was 36% to 54% in outpatient settings and 41% to 55% against hospitalization. […] Based on last year’s Southern Hemisphere data, experts estimated that the Northern Hemisphere flu vaccine would reduce the risk of hospitalization due to the flu by around 35%, once all data is collected for the 20242025 flu season.

• #2 Overview of Influenza Testing Methods | Influenza (Flu) | CDC

  https://www.cdc.gov/flu/hcp/testing-methods/index.html

  Influenza virus testing is recommended for all patients with suspected influenza who are being admitted to hospital. […] Clinicians should understand the limitations of influenza virus tests and how to properly interpret the results, particularly negative results. […] Diagnostic tests available for detection of influenza viruses in respiratory specimens include molecular assays and antigen detection tests. […] The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) recommends use of rapid influenza molecular assays over rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) for detection of influenza viruses in respiratory specimens of outpatients. IDSA recommends use of RT-PCR or other molecular assays for detection of influenza viruses in respiratory specimens of hospitalized patients. […] Rapid molecular assays are a kind of molecular influenza diagnostic test to detect influenza virus nucleic acids in upper respiratory tract specimens with high sensitivity (90-95%) and specificity.

• #2 Overview of Influenza Testing Methods | Influenza (Flu) | CDC

  https://www.cdc.gov/flu/hcp/testing-methods/index.html

  Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and other molecular assays can identify the presence of influenza viral RNA or nucleic acids in respiratory specimens with very high sensitivity and specificity. […] Rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) are antigen detection assays that can detect influenza viral antigens in 10-15 minutes with moderate sensitivity (50-70%) and high specificity. […] Serological testing for influenza is not recommended for clinical decision-making. […] If human infection with a novel influenza A virus of animal origin is suspected, the local and state health department should be contacted to perform RT-PCR for seasonal influenza viruses and novel influenza A viruses.

• #2 Influenza: Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology

  https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/219557-overview

  Prevention of influenza is the most effective strategy. Each year in the United States, a vaccine that contains antigens from the strains most likely to cause infection during the winter flu season is produced. The vaccine provides reasonable protection against immunized strains, becoming effective 10 to 14 days after administration.

• #2 Flu vaccination information for students | MUSC

  https://education.musc.edu/students/student-health-and-well-being-care-center/student-health-services/health-advisories/flu-information

  During known flu outbreaks, most patients can be diagnosed on clinical grounds based on signs and symptoms. Acute onset of Fever (100.0) and Cough/Sore Throat has a diagnostic positive predictive value (79%-88%) for the flu when influenza is confirmed to be circulating in the community. […] Laboratory diagnostic testing includes Nucleic Acid Testing (Highly Sensitive, Highly Specific, Expensive), Digital Immunoassay (Moderately High Sensitivity, High Specificity, Moderately Expensive), Rapid Flu Antigen Detection Tests (Low to Moderate Sensitivity, High Specificity, Inexpensive, Can be done in office). Lab Testing for Influenza should be considered for the following groups: […] Persons who are in the high risk groups (see above) for developing complications from the flu. Healthcare workers (staff, students) with acute flu-like symptoms who present within 5 days of symptom onset during a known influenza outbreak. Persons experiencing flu-like symptoms during times of the year where there is low flu activity (to reduce unnecessary antibiotic/antiviral medication use, reduce unnecessary lab/radiology, initiate necessary Infection Control Measures when flu present).

• #2 Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests | Influenza (Flu) | CDC

  https://www.cdc.gov/flu/hcp/testing-methods/clinician_guidance_ridt.html

  Negative results of RIDTs do not exclude influenza virus infection and influenza should still be considered in a patient if clinical suspicion is high based upon history, signs, symptoms and clinical examination. […] RIDTs are not recommended for hospitalized patients with suspected influenza; molecular influenza assays such as RT-PCR are recommended for testing hospitalized patients. However, empiric antiviral treatment should be initiated as soon as possible for hospitalized patients with suspected influenza without the need to wait for any influenza testing results. […] If RIDTs are used in these settings, clinical specimens should also be sent for influenza testing by viral culture and RT-PCR to provide detailed information on specific influenza A virus subtypes and strains, and antiviral susceptibility data and to verify RIDT test results.

• #2 Diagnostic discrimination of live attenuated influenza vaccine strains and community-acquired pathogenic strains in clinical samples

  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7127513/

  To ensure that influenza-positive samples identified by routine influenza A and influenza B RT-PCR assays are community-acquired infections and not the result of shedding from recent vaccination, primers were developed that can discriminate between the MDVs and currently circulating influenza strains. […] The results also strongly suggest that, when used on samples collected during the influenza season, our CAP-certified influenza culture and RT-PCR tests are primarily yielding positive results from patients with legitimate community-acquired pathogenic influenza as opposed to false positives resulting from vaccine strain shedding. […] This is particularly critical at a time when public health agencies are increasing off-season influenza surveillance in an effort to protect the public from the threat of an influenza pandemic.

• #2 Is It Worth Getting the Flu Shot if You’ve Had the Flu? | Sharp HealthCare

  https://www.sharp.com/health-news/should-you-get-a-flu-shot-if-you-already-had-the-flu

  The first step in preventing the flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, is getting a flu shot every year. […] The flu shot has been proven to reduce flu illness, serious flu complications, and hospitalization or death due to the flu. Vaccination, even after having flu-related illness, is recommended for everyone age 6 months and older with rare exception. […] The protection the annual vaccine provides declines over time. Additionally, the viruses that cause flu-related illness change constantly. […] The vaccines are then updated to protect against those specific viruses. […] Getting the annual flu shot after having flu-like illness is also vital because: […] You may have had symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills or fatigue that led you to believe you had the flu. But without a laboratory-confirmed test to prove a diagnosis, those symptoms might have been from a different respiratory illness.

• #2 Flu shot: Your best bet for avoiding influenza

  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/in-depth/flu-shots/art-20048000

  The flu vaccine is available as a shot given with a needle, as a jet injection or as a nasal spray. […] No, the flu vaccine can’t give you the flu. And the flu vaccine does not make you more likely to get another respiratory infection based on available evidence. […] How well the flu vaccine works to protect you from the flu can vary. […] For almost everyone, a flu vaccine can lower the risk of the flu and its complications.

• #2 DHHS: DPH: NC Flu: FAQs

  https://flu.ncdhhs.gov/prevention/faqs.htm

  Yes. It is possible to have flu, as well as other respiratory illnesses, and COVID-19 at the same time. Health experts are still studying how common this is. […] Diagnostic testing by a health care provider can help determine if you are sick with flu, COVID-19, or both. […] A flu vaccine is still the best way to prevent influenza. […] Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid, an inhaled powder, or an intravenous solution) that fight against the flu in your body. Antiviral drugs are not sold over the counter. You can only get them if you have a prescription from your doctor or health care provider. Antiviral drugs are different from antibiotics, which fight against bacterial infections. […] Its very important that antiviral drugs are used early to treat hospitalized patients, people with severe flu illness, and people who are at higher risk for flu complications based on their age or underlying medical conditions.

• #2 Flu vaccine and cancer treatment | Treatment for cancer | Cancer Research UK

  https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/treatment/cancer-drugs/flu-vaccine

  For many cancer types, your specialist may advise you to have the vaccine during treatment if you haven’t had one. […] The vaccine might not give you as much protection as it would a person whose immunity is not low. But it is still important for most people to have it. […] The flu vaccination is free to people at increased risk of catching flu. This includes people with low immunity due to disease or treatment, such as cancer treatment. […] The flu vaccine injection doesn’t contain live flu virus, so you won’t develop flu from having it. It is safe to have it while you are having cancer treatment. […] Your doctor may suggest that your child doesn’t have the nasal spray if they have a very weakened immune system. This is because the nasal spray contains a live, but weakened form of the flu vaccine. […] The nasal spray contains a live but weakened form of the flu vaccine. So there is a very small chance that the vaccine virus could be passed on to you and cause flu if you have a severely weakened immune system.

• #2 Flu prevention and vaccine information | Mass.gov

  https://www.mass.gov/info-details/flu-prevention-and-vaccine-information

  While vaccine effectiveness can vary, studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to the flu vaccine. It is also the best way to reduce your risk of serious illness.

• #2 Longhorn Advances a Scalable Universal Flu Vaccine

  https://www.contagionlive.com/view/longhorn-advances-a-scalable-universal-flu-vaccine

  Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics has introduced a novel single-composite peptide vaccine that offers broad protection against human, avian, and swine influenza strains including pandemic variants such as H5N1. The unconjugated vaccine combines highly conserved epitopes from key influenza proteins, hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA), and matrix proteins (M1, M2, M2e), with the ALFQ adjuvant to stimulate a strong immune response. […] In preclinical trials, the vaccine demonstrated robust serum IgG1 antibody responses, effectively neutralizing and inhibiting hemagglutination in both Group 1 and Group 2 influenza viruses. The inclusion of a universal T cell epitope further supports the development of long-term immune protection. […] A universal vaccine could play multiple roles in pandemic preparedness. It could be stockpiled for deployment once a pandemic strain is identified, providing at least a baseline level of protection while a strain-specific vaccine is developed. It could also replace the seasonal vaccine to generate coverage in advance of a pandemic and potentially prevent pandemics from ever happening.

• #2 Longhorn Advances a Scalable Universal Flu Vaccine

  https://www.contagionlive.com/view/longhorn-advances-a-scalable-universal-flu-vaccine

  LHNVD-110 durability and consistency across strains suggests it should have significant advantages over current seasonal vaccines. As a composite peptide vaccine, it is easy to scale manufacturing. The likely durability of a year or more would allow the vaccine to be administered at any time during the year, as compared to the seasonal vaccine that must be closely timed to the expected flu season. […] LHNVD-110 generates monoclonal antibodies that have been modified for extended half-life, so the vaccine will likely proceed into clinical trials. The objective will be to demonstrate the targeted epitopes effectiveness in providing immunocompromised patients potent protection against influenza and COVID-19 that is not currently available. […] Our One Health perspective covers global populations of humans and animals. Targeting multiple antigens on the influenza virus allows the vaccine to provide broad species protection and overcome viral mutations. Our vaccine design is easily scalable to allow for cost-effective immunization for large populations of humans or animals.

• #2 2024-25 Flu Season – Vaccinate Your Family 2024-25 Flu Season – Vaccinate Your Family

  https://vaccinateyourfamily.org/vaccines-diseases/current-flu-season/

  Flu can cause severe illness in pregnant women due to changes in the immune system, heart, and lungs during pregnancy. […] Flu can be very serious for children, especially those younger than 5 years old. […] People living with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and chronic kidney disease are at an increased risk of severe flu-related outcomes like hospitalization and death. […] The effectiveness of the flu vaccines varies from year-to-year. It depends on several things including which flu viruses are spreading, your age, and if you have certain health conditions or take certain medications that weaken your immune system. Typically, flu vaccination helps prevent illness 40-60% of the time if flu vaccines are well-matched to the circulating viruses. Even during the seasons when the flu vaccines don’t perfectly match the circulating flu strains, the vaccines still help prevent serious flu-related complications like hospitalization and death. Most flu-related hospitalizations and deaths occur in children and adults who were not fully vaccinated.

• #2 2024-2025 Flu Vaccine Effectiveness: What Do We Know?

  https://www.flu.com/Articles/2024/2024-2025-Flu-Vaccine-Effectiveness

  Flu vaccine effectiveness for influenza A(H3N2) strains tends to be lower than for Influenza A(H1N1) and Influenza B viruses. […] Even a vaccine with lower effectiveness can mean the difference between a mild illness and a hospital stay. Studies have shown flu vaccination lowers the risk of flu-related hospitalization by 41% in young children and 82% in adults. Vaccinated individuals who still get sick with flu are also less likely to be admitted to the ICU.

• #2 Influenza: Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology

  https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/219557-overview

  Influenza traditionally has been diagnosed on the basis of clinical criteria, but rapid diagnostic tests, which have a high degree of specificity but only moderate sensitivity, are becoming more widely used. The gold standard for diagnosing influenza A and B is a viral culture of nasopharyngeal samples or throat samples. In elderly or high-risk patients with pulmonary symptoms, perform chest radiography to exclude pneumonia. […] Rapid diagnostic tests for influenza that can provide results within 30 minutes can help confirm the diagnosis. […] The gold standard for confirming influenza virus infection is reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing or viral culture of nasopharyngeal or throat secretions. However, culture may require 3 to 7 days, yielding results long after the patient has left the clinic, office, or emergency department, and well past the time when drug therapy could be efficacious.

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