Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh said the influenza vaccine does not protect people from the common cold - which isn’t fatal - and different types of treatment are needed for both the ‘flu and the common cold.
And, according to the minister, it takes two weeks for the influenza vaccine to become effective, so one can still get the ‘flu in the two weeks before it “kicks in.”
Deyalsingh explained the situation following questions on flu season by Independent and Opposition senators yesterday.
There’ve been 32 influenza deaths as of December 7.
The number of reported suspected influenza cases as of December 7, is 3,232. This is 28.8 per cent lower than the 4, 544 cases for 2018, Deyalsingh added.
Deyalsingh said the influenza virus is distinct from the virus that causes the common cold and the ‘flu vaccine won’t protect one from the cold, “So you’ll still get a cold - as I did- even if you take the vaccine. The vaccine doesn’t protect you from the cold which isn’t fatal, it protects you from influenza which is fatal.”
He continued, “If you have the cold or influenza (flu) or have any type of runny nose, get treated so your clinician can make a distinction on whether you just have a cold or influenza which needs two different types of treatment.”
On Independent senator Paul Richards’ query, if the flu virus is more virulent this year, Deyalsingh said, “Vaccines for the ‘flu season - which starts from October/November - are formulated from January of the particular year so scientists try to predict what the flu virus would look like 10 months down the line and formulate vaccines for that. If they get it wrong you’ll have a problem because the vaccine won’t be effective.”
He added, “Flu vaccine effectiveness over the years ranged from a low of 10 per cent to a high of 90 per cent and varies from year to year.”
He said it may not be that this year’s flu was more virulent, but it could be that the estimate of what the virus looked like in January - for preparation of the November vaccines - wasn’t accurate. Deyalsingh noted the CDC’s website stated such research was “GuessWork”. He said trying to predict what the flu virus would look like 10 months into the future, was one of the problems of the ‘flu virus.
The minister said the World Health Organisation (WHO) doesn’t prescribe vaccinating an entire population for the ‘flu but only vulnerable groups.
Those are pregnant women (whose immune system is usually compromised), children aged six months to five years (whose immune systems aren’t fully formed), the elderly over 65 (whose immune systems are compromised by diabetes, obesity, hypertension and other issues), those on immuno-suppressant drugs and people with respiratory diseases (asthma, COPD, recurrent bronchitis).
“...Because the first organ of the body to be colonised by the virus is your lungs. The average adult (ages 20 to 40) and teens aren’t seriously adversely affected by the virus, it’s the vulnerable groups whose immune systems are compromised, which are,” he explained.
Deyalsingh said 100,000 doses of ‘flu medication were received in November. At December 9, some 52,000 doses were distributed and 3301 doses were administered to public health institutions. Government has also ordered a batch of 60,000 vaccines and 14,000 will be here early in 2020.
He said Government has a stockpile of Tamiflu which is used to treat the ‘flu. But he said it was crucial to take this within 48 hours of getting the virus for it to be effective.
