influenza vaccine (Pandyflu)

The effect of Covid-19 vaccines on semen parameters of patients undergoing infertility investigations: a self-controlled before-and-after study.

Hadj Said Sana Ben SB, Sallem Amira A, Boussabbeh Manel M, Dhaoui Amira A et al.

COVID-19 vaccination faced significant hesitancy among adolescents and men of reproductive age due to concerns regarding its potential impact on male fertility. This study aimed to compare semen parameters before and after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. We conducted a self-controlled before-and-after study that included patients referred to the Reproductive Biology Department of Monastir for semen analysis within a 3-month interval before (T1) and after (T2) COVID-19 vaccination. Patients who underwent medical or surgical treatment that could influence sperm parameters between the two compared semen analyses were excluded. Sperm parameters were analyzed by the same trained technician and interpreted according to the 2021 WHO guidelines. The study included 48 patients with a mean age of 40.4 ± 7.7 years. A total of 22 patients received an mRNA vaccine, 15 patients received a viral vector vaccine, and 6 patients received an inactivated vaccine. Viability (p = 1), progressive motility (p = 0.240), total motility (p = 0.762), and sperm morphology (p = 1) were similar before and after vaccination. We observed a decrease in semen pH (p = 0.012), and an increase in sperm concentration (p = 0.026) after vaccination. Analysis of the different vaccine subgroups showed no alteration in sperm parameters. According to WHO criteria, qualitative analysis revealed no clinically meaningful alterations in all semen parameters (p > 0.05). The results of this study support semen parameters stability after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and provide a starting point for reassuring adolescents and men seeking fertility regarding their reproductive potential after vaccination.

Asymmetric post-pandemic recovery of influenza A and B since 2020 in Hong Kong: an interrupted time-series (ITS) analysis of weekly surveillance data with subtype and lineage characterization.

Yang Ling L, Riaz Muhammad M, Rahman Najm Ur NU

Influenza circulation declined markedly worldwide after the emergence of COVID-19 in 2020. Although early suppression was widely documented, less information is available on how influenza activity returned during later years, particularly for influenza A and influenza B and their subtype or lineage distributions. Weekly laboratory surveillance data from Hong Kong covering 2014-2024 were analyzed using interrupted time-series regression. Weekly numbers of tested specimens were included as an offset. Epidemiological week 1 of 2020 was used as the primary interruption point. Influenza A subtype activity, A(H1) and A(H3), and influenza B lineage activity, Victoria and Yamagata, were also examined descriptively. Other respiratory viruses (ORV) were included for general comparison. Both influenza A and influenza B declined sharply during early 2020, although the decline was greater for influenza B. Influenza A activity increased again during later years, with recurrent seasonal peaks and variation in the relative activity of A(H1) and A(H3). Influenza B remained at comparatively low levels through much of the post-2020 period. Among characterized influenza B viruses, most detections belonged to the B/Victoria lineage, whereas B/Yamagata was not identified in later surveillance data. ORV circulation showed greater variability after 2020 and did not follow the same pattern observed for influenza. Recovery patterns differed between influenza A and influenza B after 2020 in Hong Kong. Influenza A circulation resumed gradually, whereas influenza B activity remained lower and lineage diversity was reduced. Continued surveillance at the level of virus type, subtype, and lineage may help identify future changes in influenza circulation during the post-pandemic period.

Case Series: Pediatric Cough, Cold, and Influenza.

Alm Danielle D

Effective influenza treatment: a comprehensive review of challenges and advances.

Pomeshikova Kristina K, Poromov Artem A, Schmidtke Michaela M, Makarov Vadim V

SUMMARYInfluenza viruses remain a serious global health problem, causing annual epidemics and potential pandemics with significant morbidity and mortality. Antiviral therapy, particularly with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), is a critical component of influenza control. This comprehensive review analyzes the current landscape of DAA drugs, with special attention paid to the complexity of synthesis, pharmacokinetic properties, and the development of antiviral resistance. We evaluated approved treatments, including neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors, viral RNA polymerase inhibitors, hemagglutinin (HA) inhibitors, and M2 ion channel blockers. We identify several critical obstacles to effective treatment: (i) the high genetic variability of influenza viruses, which facilitates the emergence of resistance, particularly in the case of M2 blockers (widespread) and, to a lesser but concerning extent, NA and polymerase inhibitors, both through natural evolution and selective pressure during drug treatment, and (ii) the suboptimal pharmacokinetic profiles of many existing drugs. This review provides a crucial framework for evaluating existing and investigational drugs for influenza, emphasizing the need to develop balanced therapeutic strategies that consider efficacy, resistance management, and global accessibility. The novelty of this review is a comprehensive comparative analysis of not only the drugs officially recommended by the WHO but also a wide range of other anti-influenza drugs approved in individual countries or under development. We have identified key comparative aspects that are discussed in detail here and are not always brought together in other reviews. The purpose of the article is to provide a generalized overview of the current state of knowledge, identify key trends and problems, and discuss future prospects without providing new primary data or experimental results.