NYITCOM-Arkansas Scientist: Rough Flu Season Ahead
As seen in聽, , and other news sites, scientist , assistant dean of research and associate professor at NYITCOM-Arkansas, shared insight on the impact of this year鈥檚 flu season. This past summer, as flu season cooled down in the Northern Hemisphere, it intensified in the Southern Hemisphere, allowing influenza A (H3N2) another opportunity to聽mutate.聽Rajnarayanan noted that the mutations 鈥渞eshaped the areas that antibodies recognize,鈥 making previous immunity, including immunity induced by the flu vaccine, less effective. Specifically, this mutation鈥檚 significant antigenic drift, which is when the genes of a virus change, is 鈥渁 real concern.鈥
鈥淐ountries hit early may have been caught off guard and are scrambling to ramp up countermeasures. With early alerts now coming from our international partners, we have a narrow window to act鈥攂oost stockpiles, issue robust guidance, deploy resources quickly, and reinforce surveillance,鈥 Rajnarayanan said.