Vitamin E may boost immune response triggered by flu vaccine
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Vitamin E boosts immune response triggered by flu vaccine
No matter how hard it is that the CDC and WHO promote swine flu vaccine, the efficacy of the drug is not the same in each and every recipient. That is why some people need two shots instead of one for those who are able to produce a strong immune response.
One study led by Japanese researchers suggests that elderly people may take some vitamin E supplements before and after they receive swine flu vaccine or other influenza vaccine as they found that vitamin E may boost the immune response in their study subjects.
For the study, Hara M and colleagues from Saga University in Saga, Japan tested the immune response and serum nutritional profiles in 153 elderly residents at an average age of 84.4 years in nursing homes and 95 health care workers at an average age of 36.8 years before and after immunization with trivalent split-virus flu vaccine.
The researchers found among all subjects, younger age and higher serum concentrations of total protein, albumin, vitamin E and folate were associated with an intact immune response. But among the elderly, only vitamin E was significantly associated with the immune response to A/H1N1 and or B.
In their study report scheduled to be published in the Feb 10, 2010 issue of Vaccine, Hara and colleagues concluded "These results suggested that Vitamin E may play an important role in maintaining the immune response, especially among the elderly."
WHO says swine flu is not dead yet
The World Health organization said Friday that the swine flu is still spreading in North Africa, parts of eastern and southeastern Europe and some areas of Asia even through the overall activity is diminishing.
Swine flu is generally considered a mild flu that rarely kills healthy humans even though it is fairly contagious and spreads easily from person to person.
Experts say most people who died had had underlying health conditions or co-infection. It has been known that young children and pregnant women are at higher risk for getting the swine flu virus h1n1 while people older than 55 years are at higher risk of dying with the flu.
Thus far, an estimated 14,711 people worldwide have died with swine flu since last April when the pandemic got started, according to the WHO.
The pandemic virus is the predominant flu strain circulating worldwide. At this time of the year, the seasonal flu activity is considered at its peak, but with swine flu present, seasonal flu is almost nonexistent.
CDC updates weekly report on swine flu activity
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated Jan 29 the swine flu activity on its website suggesting that h1n1 virus is disappearing.
During the week between Jan 17 and 23, no states reported widespread flu activity. And only five states reported regional activity and nine states reported local flu activity. Three states reported no flu activity.
Among 164 specimens tested by the U.S. World Health Organization (WHO) and National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) collaborating laboratories, 4.6 percent were positive for flu.
Of those positive for flu A virus reported to the CDC, all were swine flu (H1N1) viruses.
Still, the CDC said the proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and flu was above the epidemic threshold, and five children died last week and four of them died with swine flu.
The CDC did not update on hospitalizations triggered by swine flu, but the proportion of outpatient visits for flu-like illness was found at 1.7 percent, which is below the national baseline 2.3 percent.
The CDC says it "recommends influenza vaccination as the first and most important step in protecting against the flu. CDC is now encouraging everyone to get vaccinated against 2009 H1N1, including people 65 years and older."
By Jimmy Downs
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Without some specification, it is almost useless to say "Vitamin E" did --------.
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