Seasonal flu is caused by different types of influenza virus.
True : Three types of virus are involved: A, B and C. The first is the one that circulates most often. It is also the most dangerous. The second is less pathogenic. Type C causes mild signs. In our latitudes, the virus circulates every year between October and April. It is an RNA virus that evolves genetically. Its genome is fragmented (composed of different small pieces).
As a result, viruses can exchange fragments with each other, recombine and evolve with the seasons…
Influenza is only transmitted through the air.
Faux : The transmission occurs mostly through the air, for example when someone with the flu coughs, sneezes or sputters next to you. But the virus can also enter the body following direct contact with an infected person: for example, if they kiss you, or shake your hand following rubbing their mouth or nose.
Objects can also be impregnated with viruses: if you touch a contaminated door handle, you can catch the flu, although, fortunately, the virus does not stay on objects for very long.
The treatment of influenza is symptomatic.
True : It starts with general fatigue, muscle and/or joint pain, headaches and fever. These symptoms are common to all viral infections, but they are particularly acute in the case of the flu. Sometimes, the evolution takes the form of a flu-like v: there is a first peak with acute symptoms for a few days, then our condition improves before being once more subject to a second violent peak. Paracetamol can be taken to lower fever and soothe pain. It is also important to rest and stay well hydrated.
In some cases (severe flu, risk of severe form), the doctor may prescribe antivirals. We heal naturally within one or two weeks, even if the fatigue sometimes unfortunately lasts for a few weeks.
This vaccine is part of the family of killed or inactivated vaccines.
True : It is grown in the laboratory and then inactivated. It is therefore devoid of any danger while being able to provoke a reaction of the immune system. The downside is that unlike live vaccines (like tuberculosis or measles), which provide long-term protection, killed or inactivated vaccines have a limited memory (regarding six months). The consequence is therefore that it is necessary to renew the vaccination each year to be protected from the flu.
In addition, this virus evolving a lot on the genetic level, the laboratories must produce every year a vaccine from the new strain of virus which circulates in the world and will land a few months later in our latitudes.
It is possible to catch the flu even if you have been vaccinated.
True : The efficacy rate of the vaccine is approximately 42% (all ages and vaccines combined). However, this protection varies from person to person. It is lower in the elderly (especially from the age of 75) whose immune system is less efficient. In addition to reducing the risk of infection, the vaccine reduces the risk of having a severe form of the disease, with complications due to the virus itself (pneumonia, myocarditis, etc.) or the aggravation of a chronic disease ( diabetes, heart failure, cystic fibrosis, etc.). Thanks to the antibodies induced by the vaccination, the virus is blocked in the upper airways and can hardly reach the lungs.
Clinical trials are being conducted for mixed vaccine candidates targeting both the Covid virus and the flu virus.
True : Conducted by various pharmaceutical companies, these clinical trials concern messenger RNA vaccines. If they prove conclusive and if they get the green light from the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products, then it will be the first time that a messenger RNA vaccine has targeted two viruses. These vaccines will nevertheless have to be remanufactured every year with the circulating viral strains. It should also be noted that the manufacture of a messenger RNA vaccine is much faster than to design a live or inactivated vaccine.
Thanks to Frédéric Tangy, researcher at the Institut Pasteur and author, with Jean-Nicolas Tournier, of the Little Book of Vaccines (ed. First).
The vaccine is reimbursed for people over 65, obese people and those with certain chronic diseases, pregnant women, etc.
For them, the vaccination is free. You are one of the cases mentioned and have not received a voucher? Talk to your doctor. Do you want to get vaccinated even if you are not concerned by these recommendations? It is possible, but the vaccine remains at your expense (between 6 and 10 €).
EGLANTINE GRIGIS
