Dr. Wy, why doesn’t my flu shot this year also cover me for bird flu? I’ve heard it’s dangerous!

Ask Dr. Wy…

Richard Wyderski, MD, FACP

Dr. Wy, why doesn’t my flu shot this year also cover me for bird flu? I’ve heard it’s dangerous!

We all know that the flu can be dangerous. It’s responsible for tens of thousands of hospitalizations and deaths each year in the US. One of our best defenses against it is getting a vaccine each fall to give us “ammunition” to help fight it off. Unfortunately, that immunity wanes so it has to be boosted yearly.

Since April, 2024 there has been a new type of flu virus in the US called avian influenza H5N1 that has been responsible for the deaths of millions of chickens and other birds. This bird flu virus can also infect pigs and cows, and there have been a few dozen cases of farm workers getting infected from animals. Fortunately, it doesn’t look like it transmits very well among people. All it would take, though, is for one mutation in the virus for that to change.

Right now the human risk of bird flu is low and only 3 cases have been identified in the US this year. Because it’s so much different that the other flu viruses there are stockpiles of H5N1 flu vaccine in the US and abroad in case a dangerous mutation occurs. The Spanish bird flu led to the deaths of over 50 million people in 1918, and it could happen again.

At the moment we should focus on the flu that can infect us now which can be dangerous and at the very least can make us feel miserable for weeks. So please get you vaccine soon. Flu season is just round the corner!

 

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