Why last year’s flu shot will not protect Tulas, doctors explained

The flu virus is constantly changing, so the composition of vaccines has to be updated every year. Why last year’s vaccination does not guarantee protection in the new season and what drugs are used to immunize residents of the region, told MK in Tula in the Tula Department of Rospotrebnadzor.

In autumn, the number of cases of influenza and acute respiratory viral infections traditionally increases. For residents of the Tula region, one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of severe influenza and related complications is timely vaccination.

The optimal period for vaccination experts call the time from September to November. It takes two to four weeks for the body to produce the necessary amount of protective antibodies after the vaccine is administered.

At the same time, the immunity obtained is enough for one epidemic season. It is impossible to use the same vaccine composition annually: influenza viruses constantly mutate, so the strains against which it is necessary to form protection also change. For this reason, the drugs are regularly updated taking into account the most likely variants of the pathogen in the upcoming season.

Vaccine composition recommendations for the Northern and Southern Hemisphere are published each year by the World Health Organization. Drugs for the epidemic season of 2026-2027 have been completely updated in accordance with these recommendations.

In the Tula region, Sovigripp and Flu-M are used for vaccination of adults, and Ultrix Quadri is used for children. As explained in the regional Rospotrebnadzor, the annual change of composition allows you to take into account current strains of the virus and maintain the effectiveness of protecting the population.

Earlier, MK in Tula reported on the situation with seasonal infections in the region.

For one of the autumn weeks in the Tula region registered 3783 cases of SARS. At the same time, the excess of epidemic thresholds was not recorded.

Laboratory studies have shown the circulation of seasonal respiratory viruses in the region.