The new H3N2, "a flow" variant struck again?
The United States by the health department has found a gene variant of the H1N1 influenza virus from the new H3N2 influenza virus. According to WHO statistics, since July this year, the United States has recorded 11 infected with this recombinant virus cases, and the current had recovered.
H3N2 virus deadly force and harm, paper tissue compared to H1N1, what is different? Against the original H1N1 virus vaccines and therapeutic drugs for H3N2, effective? Faced with these questions, I interviewed a People's Liberation Army No. 302 Hospital of infectious disease diagnosis and research, deputy chief physician Qinen Jiang.
Nature or old virus
"Variant of influenza virus genes is a normal phenomenon." People's Liberation Army No. 302 Hospital of infectious disease diagnosis and research,paper napkins deputy chief physician Qinen Jiang said, "For example, people face life's new challenges and new problems that need constant changes in viral genes is the same. With a variety of influenza viruses for vaccines and drugs come out, the human immune system in growing the virus in order to survive, will change accordingly, such as the emergence of drug resistance and other new features . "
It is understood that a variant of influenza virus is divided into "drift" and "shift change." "Gone with the Wind Change" is a virus disguised themselves through small changes to evade the human immune system to achieve the purpose. "Shift change" refers to influenza influenza virus mutation, leading to a new virus "subtypes" appears. Because the human body is almost no antibodies against this new virus, so the "shift change" results often lead to big global flu outbreak. And specific to the current H3N2 virus found in the United States, this is not a new virus, but only compared to before the virus has undergone some minor changes. "After all, is still essentially an old virus." Qinen Jiang said.
Not as harmful as Influenza A H1N1
Qinen Jiang told the author, influenza A H3N2 is a subtype of influenza A virus, which virus causes the symptoms of influenza and other influenza A virus type of influenza symptoms similar to symptoms similar to ordinary flu, including fever ( fever virus infection is generally sustained, but at a higher temperature than the rest of the time), cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting will occur, will be secondary to severe pneumonia and respiratory failure and even death.
In the mode of transmission in, H3N2 and H1N1 and other influenza viruses, and no major changes, still is, through sneezing, coughing and physical contact with the influenza virus spread among the crowd. Infected patients are mainly young adults, most of the age of 25 years old 45 years old.
"In terms of pathogenic and lethal force, H3N2 is not more than H1N1." Qinen Jiang told reporters, "or even slightly less than the toxicity of H1N1." As compared to H1N1, H3N2 only some minor changes in the mode of transmission, infection capacity and fatal, have no major changes, H3N2 variant of a virus industry norm.
According to records, the history of the most serious disaster was caused by Spanish flu. Spanish flu occurred in 1918, is an H1N1 virus. Estimated number of patients around the world in more than 500 million, the incidence rate of about 20% -40%, the death toll reached 40 million, compared with more than the total number killed in World War I, the highest death toll in history, a plague.
Before a vaccine is still effective
There are people for fear that the virus variant, the original virus vaccine is also effective, Qinen Jiang told reporters that China's new influenza vaccine are "mixed", and both seasonal influenza prevention, but also anti-influenza A H1N1 influenza, more anti-influenza A H3N2 flu, not as some people mistakenly think of as, H1N1 influenza virus vaccine can prevent H1N1 virus, other influenza viruses.