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With the efforts for mass vaccination against Covid in Spain, the pharmaceutical industry is also starting to think on the flu antigen that the population should be vaccinated next winter. A vaccine that can be less effective than other years.
At the end of February, the World Health Organization (WHO) will provide pharmaceutical companies with the types currently in circulation. From this, the industry develops the antigens that will be inoculated next winter.
This year, flu viruses are less widespread due to hygiene measures and movement restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to the high vaccination coverage.
In Spain they are even so far 959 cases compared to 173,939 last year. Even globally, flu activity remains at a lower than expected level at this time of year.
Now that the number of flu cases has decreased dramatically, the pharmaceutical industry faces a problem: “The vaccine will likely be less effective against the flu that can occur next winter, ‘industry sources have explained to Invertia.
Development
The development of the flu vaccine for the next season “will be the same as in other years”. As mentioned, the WHO will indicate the species that are most circulating at that time at the end of February. With them, the pharmaceutical companies are developing what will be the antigen that will be inoculated next winter.
Specifically the organization offers four types (two type A and two type B) which, in all likelihood, will circulate next season. “They can be one, two or even combinations between the strains identified,” pharmaceutical industry sources have indicated.
It should be remembered that flu vaccines “they are not perfect“Precisely because of the mutations of the virus. The efficiency never reaches 100% and is around 60%. And this year the effectiveness may be even lower due to the low circulation of the virus.
Nevertheless from the pharmaceutical industry they do not foresee shocks in this regard. After all, the WHO through its surveillance centers “determines which strains are circulating and although there have been fewer cases this year, viruses have been discovered”.
Generalized decline
The widespread decline of the circulation of influenza viruses has been observed worldwide. Despite this, the circulation is being monitored in all countries, now especially in the Northern Hemisphere, as we are in seasonal flu season.
At this point, flu activity remains low, which could be due to the controls and social remoteness that remain in place to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, although other factors may have contributed.
From the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) they explain that the health crisis is a disruption of care and testing capacity in the WHO European region, which negatively impacted the reporting of epidemiological and virological data at the end of the 2019-2020 season.
As the pandemic continues today, “the flu data presented must be interpreted with cautionespecially in terms of seasonal patterns, ”they warn.