On December 2, the National Health Commission held a press conference. A reporter asked that virus mutation is a major challenge in the prevention and control of influenza, and what is the current monitoring situation of virus mutation?
Wang Dayan, director of the National Influenza Center of the Institute of Viral Diseases of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the influenza virus is prone to mutation, more for professionals, and we have been carrying out mutation monitoring. The National Influenza Center and several laboratories around the world have been monitoring the sensitivity of influenza viruses to anti-influenza virus drugs, and the results of monitoring have shown that influenza viruses are sensitive to several current anti-influenza virus drugs, that is, anti-influenza virus drugs are effective against influenza viruses. On the other hand, we are concerned about the compatibility of the circulating virus with the vaccine, that is, whether the virus has undergone antigenic changes. Compared with last winter, the composition of influenza vaccine administered this winter has not changed from last winter's influenza A(H3N2) subtypes and B, which are now predominantly circulating and are consistent with the major clades circulating in most parts of the world.
Influenza vaccination can effectively reduce the risk of infection, morbidity and severe disease, so it is recommended that high-risk groups, including the elderly, children and people working in public places, get vaccinated every year to strengthen their protection.