Is it possible to be immune to the flu

In the new study, the researchers investigated whether immunological imprinting could explain people's response to flu strains already circulating in the human population and to what extent it could account for observed discrepancies in how severely the seasonal flu affects people in different age groups.

To track how different strains of the flu virus affect people at different ages, the team analyzed health records that the Arizona Department of Health Services obtains from hospitals and private physicians. Two subtypes of influenza virus, H3N2 and H1N1, have been responsible for seasonal outbreaks of the flu over the past several decades. H3N2 causes the majority of severe cases in high-risk elderly people and the majority of deaths from the flu. H1N1 is more likely to affect young and middle-aged adults, and causes fewer deaths.

The health record data revealed a pattern: People first exposed to the less severe strain, H1N1, during childhood were less likely to end up hospitalized if they encountered H1N1 again later in life than people who were first exposed to H3N2. And people first exposed to H3N2 received extra protection against H3N2 later in life. The researchers also analyzed the evolutionary relationships between the flu strains. H1N1 and H3N2, they learned, belong to two separate branches on the influenza "family tree," said James Lloyd-Smith, a UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and one of the study's senior authors.

While infection with one does result in the immune system being better prepared to fight a future infection from the other, protection against future infections is much stronger when one is exposed to strains from the same group one has battled before, he said. The records also revealed another pattern: People whose first childhood exposure was to H2N2, a close cousin of H1N1, did not have a protective advantage when they later encountered H1N1.

That phenomenon was much more difficult to explain, because the two subtypes are in the same group, and the researchers' earlier work showed that exposure to one can, in some cases, grant considerable protection against the other.

Around the world, influenza remains a major killer. The past two flu seasons have been more severe than expected, said Michael Worobey, a co-author of the study and head of the University of Arizona's department of ecology and evolutionary biology.

In the season, 80, people died in the U. People who had their first bout of flu as children in -- when the H1N1 was circulating but the H3N2 virus was not -- were much more likely to be hospitalized with an H3N2 infection than an H1N1 infection last year, when both strains were circulating, Worobey said.

The researchers hope that their findings could help predict which age groups might be severely affected during future flu seasons based on the subtype circulating. Influenza, or the flu, is a viral infection that attacks the lungs, nose, and throat. Flu season has been mild this year, thanks to the measures used to contain COVID, such as mask wearing, physical distancing, and school closures. They also expect to see more flu…. Click to enter Healthline's interactive bathroom, fully stocked with must-haves for this cold and flu season.

Have you ever noticed how certain personality traits come out when flu season is upon us? Take this quiz to find out yours. Even if breakthrough infections do occur, getting your flu shot offers many protective benefits, for you and those around you. Experts say October is a prime month for flu vaccinations, because the shot strengthens your immune system before flu season is fully under way.

Medical experts are raising concerns that the current spike of COVID cases could collide with the fall flu season, placing an even greater strain….

Experts say the recent surge in COVID cases as well as children returning to classrooms makes flu vaccinations more important this fall. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Written by Shawn Radcliffe — Updated on November 18, Share on Pinterest.

Before and after Tests on 1, people showed that part of the immune system - called T-cells - was able to attack regions of the virus that were common to many different strains of flu. The team at University College London says it may be possible to develop a "universal flu vaccine". However, virologists warned flu was an expert at mutating. The body produces antibodies in response to an infection or flu vaccine that bind to the surface of a virus. But flu is skilled at changing its appearance and rendering antibodies useless, which is why a new flu vaccine is needed each year.

They are able to target the hidden parts of flu, which change less frequently.