"Seqirus Media Monitoring" 16th Aug 2019
Seqirus mentions
Rite Aid kicks off 2019 flu shot availability
Rite Aid is letting patients get an early start on preparing for flu season. The retailer announced Thursday that all of its 2,466 Rite Aid pharmacies have begun offering flu shots for the coming season. Rite Aid’s flu offerings include a quadrivalent flu vaccine, which works against four strains of the flu; FLUAD, a trivalent vaccine with adjuvant that is approved for patients 65 years old and older; Fluzone HD, a high-dose vaccine indicated for patients 65 years old and older; and Flublok.
Industry News
Fluenz: ‘Don’t ask faith leaders for vaccine advice’
In England, health officials have backtracked over guidance encouraging parents “to seek advice from faith or other community leaders” before deciding whether their children can be vaccinated against flu. Public Health England made the suggestion after some Muslims raised concerns about the presence of pork gelatine in the Fluenz nasal spray, which will be offered from next month to children aged two to ten. It has now deleted this advice from its public information leaflets after the National Secular Society complained that it was “confusing and potentially harmful”.
Sinovac Reports Unaudited Second Quarter 2019 Financial Results
Sinovac announced today its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019. The company filed an application for a production license for its quadrivalent influenza vaccine with the NMPA in March 2019. Preliminary questions and answers have been submitted. Sinovac’s application is currently under review and it expects the production license to be issued in 2020.
Pandemic Influenza News
Expression of M gene segment of influenza A virus determines host range
The host range of the influenza A virus (IAV) is restricted by dysregulated expression of the M viral gene segment, according to a study by Anice Lowen and John Steel of Emory University School of Medicine, and colleagues. To gauge the adaptive potential and therefore pandemic risk posed by a particular IAV, it is critical to understand the mechanisms underlying viral adaptation to human hosts. To address this question, Lowen and Steel examined the role of one of IAV's eight gene segments, the M segment, in host adaptation. The authors compared the growth of IAVs with avian- and human-derived M segments in avian and mammalian systems.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-08/p-eom081519.php
Additional sources: (Medical Xpress)
Additional sources: (Medical Xpress)
Academic studies
Discussing the AIM study (Adiposity, Influenza and Men)
According to Sheridan et al. (2012), the association between obesity and severe influenza outcomes was well documented in several epidemiological studies following the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. This growing body of literature suggests that not only do overweight and obese individuals experience a greater proportion of negative outcomes as a result of exposure (Louie et al., 2011, Van Kerkhove et al., 2011), but also vaccination response differs in young and middle-aged adults (Alberta Health, 2014). From a public health perspective, it ‘would be nice’ if a common experience occurred with the influenza vaccine. However, this study suggests that young very active males may experience less protection, and if so, steps should be taken to consider more than just age and disease when classifying influenza “high risk” groups
Antibody dynamics in Japanese paediatric patients with influenza A infection treated with neuraminidase inhibitors in a randomised trial
Neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) complement influenza virus infection management by helping to clear virus, alleviate symptoms, and reduce transmission. In a previous randomised study, we examined the effect of 4 NAIs on virus clearance and influenza symptoms in Japanese paediatric patients. In this second analysis, we examined the effects of NAI treatment on antibody responses and virus clearance, and the relationships between antibody responses and patients’ infection histories (previous infection; asymptomatic infection via household members of same virus type/subtype; vaccination), and between infection histories and viral kinetics.
Pediatric influenza news
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Over 65’s influenza news
Flu vaccine associated with reduced risk for death, stroke in elderly ICU survivors
In Denmark, elderly ICU survivors who received an influenza vaccine had an 8% decreased risk for death and a 16% reduced risk for hospitalization for stroke in the year after discharge compared with patients who were not vaccinated, according to findings from a population-based cohort study published in Intensive Care Medicine
General Influenza News
Can You Get the Flu In August? We Asked a Doctor
"Yes you can get the flu year round, although it’s much more common during the flu season in the winter and spring," Vanessa Raabe, MD, assistant professor of pediatric infectious disease at NYU Langone Health tells Health. The CDC also confirms that flu viruses are detected year-round, so it's possible to get it as early as—er, technically as late as—August. There are a few ways to minimize your chances of contracting the virus before this year's flu shot becomes available—(typically, around mid-September, according to Dr. Raabe).
Former chiropractor known for anti-vaccination views says some see her as 'a hero'
Dena Churchill says that if the price for sharing her health "truths" is a $100,000 fine and losing her career, it's a price she's willing to accept. The former Halifax-based chiropractor surrendered her licence and admitted to charges of professional incompetence following a lengthy investigation by the Nova Scotia College of Chiropractors, all prompted by Churchill's persistent sharing of views on vaccines that are either unfounded or disproved. While she disputed the suggestion she is against vaccines, during the interview, she spoke several times about her unfounded belief that the flu vaccine has "250 times the amount of mercury that's allowed in the environment."
Free Flu Shots Scheduled In Levittown
Flu season in Pennsylvania is getting closer. If you're thinking about heading it off with a flu shot, you'll be able to do so for free next month in Levittown. The Bucks County Department of Health will be holding three flu-shot clinics in September. At each, you can get your 2019 flu shot for free.
Bucks Co. Holding 3 Free Flu Shot Clinics
In the U.S., it may still be summer, but start planning now for your flu shot. Bucks County is planning three free flu shot clinics, all of which are scheduled in September. The clinics are an opportunity for county residents ages 3 and older to get a free flu shot.
Immunizing Patients Is Worth Pharmacists' and Technicians' Time
Although we have made great strides in vaccination coverage, nearly eradicating numerous vaccine-preventable illnesses, we still have some work to do to get our current immunization trends and populations up to date. For example, on one end of the spectrum, the percentage of patients across every age group has improved for influenza coverage in the U.S. Conversely, the need for immunization improvement continues in the area of pneumococcal disease, which is lingering below Healthy People 2020 targets. More than 100 million Americans get a flu shot every year, which produces $4 billion to $5 billion in revenue, yet the immunization market remains largely untapped. A huge opportunity is waiting to be uncovered beyond the flu shot
Essential Vaccines by Age Group
Earlier this year, WHO released a list of the top 10 threats to global health in 2019. Infectious diseases including Ebola, dengue, and influenza topped the list, but vaccine hesitancy was also mentioned as a serious threat could lead to the re-emergence of infectious diseases that were previously eliminated. August has been designated National Immunization Awareness Month by the US CDC. Contagion® has organized a list of essential vaccines by age group. Children should receive a seasonal flu shot each year by the end of October, beginning at 6 months of age.
Burden of disease
News Scan for Aug 15, 2019 - Australian flu activity analysis
An analysis of intense interseasonal flu outbreaks in Australia during the 2018-2019 season, which led to an early start to its 2019 season, found that the causes were complex, and included climate, virological, and immunity factors. Researchers from Australia reported their findings in Eurosurveillance. During the country's last interseasonal months, from November 2018 to May 2019, lab-confirmed flu cases were five times higher than the previous 3-year average, with children disproportionately affected. Health officials also saw higher than normal numbers of institutional outbreaks, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Shoo, flu! Geelong influenza infections fall
The flu season may finally have peaked across Geelong, Australia, with the number of reported cases in the Barwon region plummeting over the past week. There have been five reported cases in the week to Tuesday, compared to 52 the week before. It's been a particularly tough flu season in Australia this year, with cases beginning to show up in January - far earlier than usual.
Infectious diseases among main reasons for heat-related hospitalisations
Scientists have found that the heat waves which hit Switzerland in 2015 led to more than 2,700 emergency hospital admissions. The faster spread of viruses and bacteria in high temperatures appeared to be a decisive factor. The most common reasons for emergency hospital admissions were infectious diseases, diseases of the urogenital system, diseases of the digestive system, influenza and pneumonia.
Lucknow: 600% jump in flu cases this monsoon
As patients with symptoms of fever, body ache, respiratory and throat infections make a beeline at public and private hospitals in Lucknow, doctors say the number of influenza cases has seen a 600% increase in the city over the past month after the onset of monsoon.
H1N1 kills 94 people in Myanmar
A total of 94 out of 520 H1N1 patients have died up to August 13 in Myanmar and two more people from Yangon Region died, according to Ministry of Health and Sports. Out of 358 influenza-like illness (ILI) patients, 84 of them are H1N1 patients and 15 are influenza A (H3N2) patients. Among them, nine people are suffered from influenza B.
Flu Surveillance in Animals