Flu Shots Are Fighting a Nonexistent Enemy

All viruses have a natural order. Human attempts to control this order can lead to more complex problems.

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In the microscopic world, viruses take on different roles within a natural order. When one virus rises, another might fall. This order follows patterns, as we see with seasonal variations in viruses. Human interference can disrupt these patterns, often creating more complex problems, many of which still remain a mystery.

COVID Came, Yamagata Left

Seasonal flu outbreaks are mainly driven by influenza A and B viruses, classified into two main lineages based on variations in their surface proteins, particularly hemagglutinin and neuraminidase.

The influenza A lineage includes the most common subtypes of H1N1 and H3N2, whereas influenza B viruses are classified into two lineages: Victoria, which mainly infects children, and Yamagata, which primarily infects adults. These viruses are named after the places where they were first identified, and they’ve been circulating globally since 2001.

A study across 31 countries found that the influenza B virus accounted for around 23 percent of cases, becoming dominant in about one in seven seasons.

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According to a Nature Communications article, the influenza B Yamagata lineage hasn’t been detected since April 2020. This seems to be a surprising consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they credit public health measures such as travel restrictions.

Although Yamagata seems to have disappeared in 2020, there have been occasional reports of the virus in various parts of the world in 2021 and 2022.

Research shows that these sporadic cases are potentially linked to the quadrivalent vaccines. Such phenomena have been reported in the United States, Scotland, and the UK.

The flu vaccine is made from live flu viruses with reduced activity and toxicity. If these live-attenuated (weakened) flu vaccines were given in the same room where patient samples were collected, this could affect the test results due to contamination of samples by the vaccine.

Fighting a Nonexistent Enemy

The complex interplay between different viruses has a number of negative implications for vaccine development.

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One recent example of this interplay is with the current quadrivalent flu vaccines. The spotlight falls on the seemingly wasteful component, Yamagata, which was added to the flu trivalent vaccine in the 1990s and has not been removed since its disappearance in 2020.

Epidemiologists and flu experts have been contending that vaccinating against Yamagata is akin to fighting an enemy that no longer exists.

From Trivalent to Quadrivalent Vaccines

The subtype B flu virus Victoria was first identified in 1987 and was incorporated into the influenza vaccine for the subsequent 1988–1989 season. Soon, another variant, Yamagata, was identified in Japan in the spring of 1988 and was chosen for inclusion in the 1989–1990 vaccine.

Accordingly, the first trivalent flu vaccines contained three inactivated strains: two influenza A strains (H1N1 and H3N2) and one influenza B strain added in 1988 to ensure effective protection.

The selection of the influenza B strain has been challenging due to the unpredictable circulation of the two lineages, Victoria and Yamagata, often resulting in mismatches with the vaccine, which can vary depending on seasons and temperatures.

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Additionally, these two lineages were antigenically different, meaning the vaccine didn’t provide cross-protection against both lineage antigens.

To address this issue, quadrivalent influenza vaccines (QIVs) were introduced and approved by the FDA in February 2012, containing both Yamagata and Victoria strains alongside the two influenza A strains. These QIVs were also approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2013.

The recent disappearance of the Yamagata lineage could significantly impact the use of QIVs, which are widely used in the world.

Possible Solutions

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the FDA advisory committee have recommended the removal of Yamagata from the quadrivalent flu vaccines, deeming it “no longer warranted.” The consensus is that it’s gone and unlikely to come back, and therefore, the removal of this component makes sense.

It’s pointless to mount a defense against an enemy that will never attack. Trimming Yamagata out of the flu vaccine should also make them less expensive. Yamagata will be removed for the coming 2024–2025 flu season.

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Some flu vaccine manufacturers may prefer to replace the Yamagata strain with a new strain, such as H3N2, since this virus is quickly evolving and is known to be more severe.

However, adding a second H3N2 strain presents additional challenges and would likely require clinical trials to ensure safety and effectiveness when different components are combined.

For now, a simplified vaccine is the quickest response to the current flu situation. These vaccines also reflect the changed world we live in due to COVID-19. Changes in human behavior may have inadvertently led to the elimination of certain flu strains. While this may not have been intentional, our efforts to eliminate the virus have had surprising and lasting impacts beyond our expectations.

Vaccines Versus Variants

Drawing parallels with COVID-19 vaccines, the same thing could occur when creating another vaccine with incompatible components.

For example, the original Wuhan strain was replaced by Omicron in November 2021. However, the Wuhan strain was kept in the COVID-19 vaccine until September 2023 and contributed nothing to those who were vaccinated.

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Viruses are continuously evolving, particularly RNA viruses such as influenza and COVID-19. This creates an ongoing challenge for vaccine technology, which will always lag behind these mutations.

We appear to be in a never-ending battle with vaccines that have proven ineffective against the constantly mutating variants.

Vaccines aren’t foolproof shields against the virological diseases.

Other Viruses Have a Similar History

There are many other examples of this phenomenon showing how an incoming virus can drive another virus out.

In the fall of 2009 in France, the influenza A outbreak started a few months later than in previous years. It has been hypothesized that the widespread presence of rhinoviruses might have lowered the risk of infection by the H1N1 flu virus at the beginning of autumn.

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An interesting similar pattern was observed in Sweden in 2009. The flu wave unexpectedly decreased, even though the weather conditions and social behavior remained relatively consistent. A hypothesis was raised that rhinovirus might have played a role in delaying the arrival of the flu.

While conversely, the early circulation of the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) viruses had an impact on the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) epidemic in France.

During the 2009 influenza A pandemic in Hong Kong, researchers noticed a shift in the usual patterns of activity, and interestingly, there was a similar change in the behavior of RSV, parainfluenza viruses, and adenoviruses from 2009 to 2011. This observation suggests that virus interference may have influenced the interactions among these viruses during this period.

A Higher Order

In the realm of viruses, a complex interplay exists where one strain may outcompete another within the same family, such as the Delta variant superseding the Alpha strain during the 2022 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, when different virus groups interact, such as the flu virus affecting RSV, the mechanisms driving these interactions remain unclear.

Some possible explanations proposed include our body’s innate defense mechanisms, competition for cellular resources, various cellular processes, or public health policies.

However, the actual reason behind this phenomenon may be more complex.

Recent experiments involving respiratory viruses have yielded diverse outcomes, ranging from boosting or suppressing viral growth to mitigating the severity of illness. Additionally, some viruses can induce cell fusion, thereby enhancing the replication of other viruses during co-infections.

While the precise mechanisms at play remain a mystery, another perspective to consider is the notion of order in nature.

Just as when we observe a painting in a museum and acknowledge its creation by an artist, our intricate human anatomy suggests a deliberate design.

Renowned physicist Sir Isaac Newton posited in his work “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy,“ or ”Principia Mathematica,” that this most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.

This Creator, responsible for the world’s formation, also designed viruses within the microscopic realm. Each pandemic, with its waves of viral activity, unfolds like a script, with a natural, orchestrated order. These viral narratives operate independent of human interventions such as lockdowns or vaccine development. Left unchecked, these human interferences can sometimes lead to disastrous outcomes.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.