influenza associated encepalopathy

[scruffy]

Brain damage reported in 13% of kids who have died of flu this season, CDC finds

A CDC report has revealed that nine of 68 of children who died of flu this year had brain damage, but it's unclear whether this influenza-associated encephalopathy is on the rise.

www.livescience.com

9 of 68 children who died from the flu had brain damage.

Apparently this is not a new thing.

Influenza-Associated Encephalopathy and Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy in Children: A Retrospective Single-Center Study - PMC

Although influenza primarily affects the respiratory system, it can cause severe neurological complications, especially in younger children, but knowledge about the early indicators of acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) is limited. The main ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Influenza crosses the blood brain barrier.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780444534880000304#:~:text=The%20influenza%20virus%20is%20able,important%20for%20anti%2Dinfluenza%20drugs.

 

[sparky]

Flu mutates quickly. So every year, manufacturers use strains circulating in the Southern Hemisphere to predict the strains most likely to circulate in the coming season and create updated versions of the flu vaccine targeted to those strains. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel normally meets around this time of year to decide which strains should be included in the vaccines for the next season. That meeting was scheduled for Mar. 13 but was canceled without reason, Reuters reported on Feb. 28.


So they throw a dart, big pharma manufactures millions of doses, my Q is how long does the manufacture take, and can it 'turn on a dime' if they're wrong?

~S~

 

[scruffy]

Flu mutates quickly. So every year, manufacturers use strains circulating in the Southern Hemisphere to predict the strains most likely to circulate in the coming season and create updated versions of the flu vaccine targeted to those strains. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel normally meets around this time of year to decide which strains should be included in the vaccines for the next season. That meeting was scheduled for Mar. 13 but was canceled without reason, Reuters reported on Feb. 28.


So they throw a dart, big pharma manufactures millions of doses, my Q is how long does the manufacture take, and can it 'turn on a dime' if they're wrong?

~S~

Good. That is a question - is it the flu, or is it the drugs, of both?

For instance - multiple sclerosis weakens the immune system, but drug treatments weaken it even more.

The popular MS drug Tysabri allows the JC virus to enter the brain, which causes an encephalopathy called PML.

 

[sparky]

Good. That is a question - is it the flu, or is it the drugs, of both?

For instance - multiple sclerosis weakens the immune system, but drug treatments weaken it even more.

The popular MS drug Tysabri allows the JC virus to enter the brain, which causes an encephalopathy called PML.

Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML)

PML is a rare and often fatal viral infection that damages the white matter of the brain. It is caused by the JC virus (JCV), which is present in about 50% of the population.

ouch......

~S~