Penn Medicine researchers have found that those born in the late 1960s and the 1970s may be in a perpetual state of H3N2 influenza virus susceptibility, because their antibodies bind to H3N2 viruses, but fail to prevent infections.
According to a new study led by Scott Hensley, Ph.D., an associate professor of microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine in Pennsylvania, it is possible that the presence of high levels of non-neutralizing antibodies in middle-aged adults has contributed to the continued persistence of H3N2 viruses in the human population.
Gen X'ers Have Different Influenza Antibodies
Will This Year’s Seasonal Influenza Overtake Coronavirus?
‘The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic may become more difficult as we enter the fall and winter flu season,’ sate Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH).
‘Each year influenza causes a surge in hospitalizations, and in combination with COVID-19, is a serious concern for healthcare systems across the USA,’ said Dr. Collins in a September 9, 2020 testimony.
Where Did Last Year’s Flu Season Go
In the USA during Week #34 of the U.S. CDC influenza reporting period, about 1% of patient visits reported through the Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet) were due to influenza-like illness (ILI).
This percentage reported on August 28, 2020, is below the national baseline of 2.4%.
Additionally, based on the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) mortality surveillance data, 6.2% of the deaths occurring during the week ending August 22, 2020 (Week #34) were due to Pneumonia and Influenza (P&I).