♪
♪ >> Jason: HOW BAD WILL THIS FLU
SEASON REALLY BE?
HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE VACCINE
AGAINST IT?
AGAINST IT? WE’RE TAKING YOU INSIDE THE FLU
LAB WHERE LOCAL RESEARCHERS ARE
WORKING TO FIND THOSE ANSWERS.
AND THOSE ARE QUESTIONS MANY OF
US HAVE BEEN ASKING AFTER THE
FLU REALLY GOT OFF TO A FAST AND
FURIOUS START.
FURIOUS START. >> Karen: IT REALLY HAS HIT
MICHIGAN HARD.
MICHIGAN HARD. OUR DR. FRANK McGEORGE IS HERE
TO SHOW US HOW RESEARCHERS ARE
GATHERING THE CRITICAL DATA
NEEDED TO FIGHT THE FLU.
>> Dr. McGeorge: THE ONLY THING
PREDICTABLE IS HOW UNPREDICTABLE
IT IS.
IT IS. THAT MAKES THE INFORMATION
GATHERED AT THE FLU LAB EVEN
MORE VALUABLE.
MORE VALUABLE. IT TRACKS THE FLU SEASON AS IT
UNFOLDS AND HELPS WITH DECISIONS
THAT CAN SAVE LIVES.
>> WE LET THE CDC KNOW WHAT’S
AROUND IN MICHIGAN.
>> Dr. McGeorge: INSIDE THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF
PUBLIC HEALTH, THE FLU SAMPLES A
CONSTANTLY ARRIVING.
CONSTANTLY ARRIVING. >> WE PROCESS THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS OF SAMPLES, LAST YEAR
5,000 SAMPLES, TO SEE WHETHER OR
NOT THEY HAD FLU.
>> Dr. McGeorge: DR. MARTIN IS
PART OF THE TEAM TRACKING
VIRUSES.
VIRUSES. >> WE’RE IN FULL SWING.
AND YOU MAY BE HEARING A LOT OF
HOSPITALIZATIONS AND FLU
ACTIVITY ALREADY, WHICH IS
UNUSUAL.
UNUSUAL. >> Dr. McGeorge: THIS FLU SEASON
IS NOTABLE FOR TWO REASONS.
>> ONE IS THAT WE’RE HAVING AN
EARLY SEASON.
EARLY SEASON. SO WE DON’T KNOW IF THAT MEANS
THAT IT’S GOING TO BE A BIG
SEASON OR IF IT WILL BE THE SAME
SEASON BUT SHIFTED EARLIER THAN
USUAL.
USUAL. THE SECOND THING THAT’S
DIFFERENT IS IN PREVIOUS YEARS,
WE HAVE SOME INFLUENZA A AND
THEN WE’LL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF
INFLUENZA B THAT COMES LATER IN
THE SEASON IN THE SPRING.
AND THIS YEAR, IT’S BACKWARDS.
>> Dr. McGeorge: THAT
INFORMATION COMES FROM LOCAL
PATIENTS.
PATIENTS. >> WE LOOK AT HOSPITALIZED
PATIENTS AT THREE DIFFERENT
HOSPITALS.
HOSPITALS. WE’RE IN 12 DIFFERENT DOCTORS’
OFFICES AND SWAB PEOPLE WHO ARE
SICK AND SEE WHAT TYPE OF FLU
THEY HAVE AND SEE WHETHER OR NOT
THEY WERE VACCINATED.
AND THEN WE ALSO ENROLL FAMILIES
THAT STAY WITH US ALL YEAR, AND
WE CHECK IN ON THEM REGULARLY
AND TEST THEM EVERY TIME THEY’RE
SICK AND SEE HOW THE IMMUNE
SYSTEM IS DEVELOPING AND WHO IS
GETTING FLU OVER TIME.
>> Dr. McGeorge: HOUSEHOLD
INFLUENZA VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS
STUDY AND THAT’S IMPORTANT TO
THE CDC.
THE CDC. >> WE’RE THE ONLY PLACE THAT
LOOKS IN THE COMMUNITY AND
DOCTORS OFFICES STATEMENT.
THIS IS HOW WE GET FLU A AND B
RESULTS IN HERE.
AND THEN WE CAN TELL THIS PERSON
HAS FLU A.
FLU B, A LITTLE BIT MORE.
>> Dr. McGeorge: ADDITIONAL
TESTING LOOKS AT THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE FLU
VACCINE.
VACCINE. >> NOW WE CAN TELL IF YOU DID
GET THE VACCINE, WHETHER THE
ANTIBODIES ARE MATCHING THE
VIRUS YOU WERE INFECTED WITH AND
HELPS DRILL DOWN TO FIGURE OUT
IF, FOR WHATEVER REASON, THE
VACCINE ISN’T A MATCH, WHY IT
ISN’T A MATCH.
>> Dr. McGeorge: INFLUENZA B HAS
BEEN ALL THE BUZZ THIS SEASON,
BUT THEY’RE STARTING TO SEE A
SHIFT.
SHIFT. >> WE’RE STARTING TO SEE
INFLUENZA A, H1N1.
BUT IT’S A WELL MATCHED VACCINE.
THE STRAIN THAT’S COMING NEXT IS
MATCHED VERY, VERY GOOD.
>> Dr. McGeorge: SO IF YOU
HAVEN’T GOTTEN A FLU SHOT, IT’S
GOOD TO GET IT.
HOW LONG THIS FLU SEASON WILL
LAST, THAT’S ANYBODY’S GUESS.
>> IT COULD BE A REGULAR FLU
SEASON THAT WAS EARLY.
IF IT KEEPS GOING, IT COULD BE A
FAIRLY LARGE FLU SEASON FOR US.
>> Dr. McGeorge: DR. MARTIN SAID
THEY SHOULD SOON HAVE A
PRELIMINARY IDEA OF HOW THE
VACCINES ARE WORKING.
>> Karen: AND THEY’RE TRACKING
RSV AND WHAT ARE THEY HOPING TO
LEARN FROM THAT?
>> Dr. McGeorge: IT’S BIG AN
ISSUE THIS SEASON ESPECIALLY
WITH YOUNG CHILDREN.
THERE IS NO VACCINE, BUT THE
RESEARCH AT THE FLU LAB WILL
HELP THEM UNDERSTAND WHO IS
GETTING SICK AND HOW SEVERE IT
IS.
IS. AND THERE ARE SOME VACCINES IN
THE PIPELINE IN DEVELOPMENT AND
HOPEFULLY WILL HELP THE PROCESS
MOVE ALONG FASTER.
>> Karen: VERY INTERESTING TO
SEE HOW IT ALL WORKS.
>> Dr. McGeorge: THIS IS HOW WE