HWN Suggests

Influenza B is trying to escape our vaccine

The B viruses are less diverse and mutate more slowly, which makes them generally less dangerous. We also get to pick two B strains every year, since the majority of people in the U.S. get a quadrivalent vaccine (meaning it has four parts). Most years there are relatively minor changes to the B virus genome, and therefore small changes to the viruses contained in the vaccine.

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Articles of Interest

Influenza B is Dominating This Year's Flu Season—Here's What You Need to Know

A big difference between influenza B and influenza A is that influenza B typically comes after influenza A, hitting later in the season around springtime.

Study finds influenza B may be more severe than thought

The findings challenge the notion that influenza B infections are milder than influenza A infections, the group reported. CDC data from 2004 to 2008 suggest 34% of 309 pediatric flu deaths were linked to influenza B, they noted, adding that many of the case-patients had no underlying risk factors for flu complications, other than that they were young.

What's In A Flu Name? H's And N's Tell A Tale

Although influenza B can make you just as sick as A, it has never triggered a worldwide pandemic. Those have all come from the influenza A strains.

When “B” becomes “A”: the emerging threat of influenza B virus

Influenza B is the most prominent circulating strain of influenza every four to five years. Furthermore, influenza B infections carried higher risks of hospitalisations compared to influenza A infections in HIV patients [5]. Similarly, influenza B has been described to have significantly higher mortality rates compared to influenza A strains.