Transcript

Mark Herz: This is GBH's Morning Edition.

Every month, we check in with the state's top public health official, Dr. Robbie Goldstein. And today, we're going to be talking about the latest headline news concerning the CDC and this year's flu season. Good morning, Commissioner.

Robbie Goldstein: Good morning.

Herz: So on Friday, you joined other public health officials in condemning the CDC for casting doubt on the long-settled scientific consensus that there is no connection between vaccines and autism. And of course, the Trump Administration's health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is a known vaccine skeptic. Still, to be sitting here with you, a former high-ranking CDC official, and having to ask about this, it's somehow still surprising to me.

Goldstein I think it's surprising and it's sad. It's a sad state for our country right now. For folks who go to CDC's website to look for information, they can no longer trust that information. And that's a really sad moment. The CDC should be and has been for a really long time the pinnacle of public health information. They are the folks who put out information about flu and COVID. They put out information about foodborne illnesses. They talk to us about your risk for travel. And we trust them, we have trusted them. But with this latest move out of CDC, I think most information, possibly all information coming out of the CDC in this moment, can't be trusted.

Herz: I'm wondering, when the Trump Administration is over and there's a new administration, do you think trust can be rebuilt in the CDC?

Goldstein: I certainly do. I mean, I'm an optimist by nature. I think the CDC can come back and the CDC should come back to what it was, but I think we need to acknowledge it will take time. It takes a lot of time to build trust with people in this country, with communities. And that's not going to happen overnight just because a new administration comes in, or a new CDC director is appointed and confirmed. We need them to come back, right? This nation needs the CDC. We need a national federal public health institution that can lead us all, and lead the world in what's right and what is factual. We just don't have that right now.

Herz: Okay, we're going to shift topics to a less political one, to the flu. There's a new, more severe flu variant now spreading in the U.S. What do we need to know about this?

Goldstein: Well, I think the first thing that folks should know is that we're starting to see the respiratory virus season pick up. So that means we're seeing increasing cases of flu. We're seeing RSV, especially in young children. And we're staring to see little inklings of COVID coming up as well, although it still remains quite low. And so folks should think right now is the time if you're not vaccinated, go get vaccinated because we want you to be protected going into the holiday season, spending time with families, all at a time when we know the viruses are going to start to rise.

But you brought up this particular strain of flu. And so for folks who don't know of the biology of flu, we look at it every single year because every year it changes just a little bit. And what we saw this year was a change that's a little bit bigger than before. So one of the strains of flu H3N2 had a significant number of mutations. Those mutations resulted in a new what we call "subclade" of flu. And that just means it's a little bit different. Our bodies aren't going to respond in the same way, and the vaccine might not respond in the same way.

What we're seeing in other countries like the UK and parts of Central America and other parts of the world is that this new strain packs a pretty big punch. There are a lot of folks who are getting quite sick from it. There are lot of people who are ending up in the hospital because of it. And so we want to do everything we can to protect ourselves. I want to be very clear. The vaccine, while it's not 100% perfect all the time, it is still really, really important because those who get the vaccine are much less likely to feel all the significant effects from this flu strain.

Herz: And we're just days away from Thanksgiving. Is there still time to get that shot and have it protect you and your loved ones?

Goldstein: There is always time to get the shot. So if you haven't gotten it, go out and get it today. It takes a little bit of time for the flu shot to ramp up completely inside your system for your immune system to respond to it. So you might not have a hundred percent protection by the time you get to your turkey dinner on Thursday, but you'll still have some protection. So it's never too late to go out and get your shots.

Herz Massachusetts Commissioner for Public Health, Dr. Robbie Goldstein, thank you as always.

Goldstein: Thanks for having me.

Herz: This is GBH.

There’s a new, more severe flu variant spreading in other countries that has now reached the United States.

Public health officials are urging vigilance when it comes to the H3N2 subclade.

Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Robbie Goldstein join GBH’s Morning Edition to discuss the new variant and how to stay protected.

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What is the current status of the new strain?

Goldstein said that state health officials are starting to see the respiratory virus season pick up, including for flu, RSV in young children, and some cases of COVID.

“And so folks should think right now is the time, if you’re not vaccinated, go get vaccinated because we want you to be protected going into the holiday season, spending time with families, all at a time when we know the viruses are going to start to rise,” he said.

With the H3N2 strain, Goldstein added that it is bringing “bigger” changes to the biology of the flu this year.

“[This strain] had a significant number of mutations. Those mutations resulted in a new what we call “subclade” of flu. And that just means it’s a little bit different,“ he said. ”Our bodies aren’t going to respond in the same way, and the vaccine might not respond in the same way.“

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How many cases are reported so far?

There are around a billion cases of seasonal influenza annually, according to the World Health Organization.

In other countries like the UK and parts of Central America, Goldstein said there are high numbers of hospitalizations from the H3N2 subclade.

As of last week, there were 160 cases of ”influenza A“ reported by public health laboratories to the Centers for Disease Control.

Out of those cases, 115 were H3N2, which makes up nearly 72 percent.

Flu severity remains low across Massachusetts, according to the latest weekly update from the state Department of Public Health.

What are the symptoms for the new subclade?

The symptoms for H3N2 are similar to seasonal flu strains we have seen in the past but can be more intense for some groups, including children under 5, adults over 65, and those with chronic medical conditions like asthma or heart disease.

Those symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, and possible gastrointestinal impacts, like vomiting or diarrhea.

What can you do to protect yourself from H3N2?

The top recommendation from the states DPH is to get vaccinated for respiratory viruses, particularly the flu.

”I want to be very clear. The vaccine, while it’s not 100% perfect all the time, it is still really, really important because those who get the vaccine are much less likely to feel all the significant effects from this flu strain,“ Goldstein said.

While those getting vaccinated now won’t have full vaccine efficacy in time for Thanksgiving, it will still provide some protection.

”It’s never too late to go out and get your shot,“ Goldstein said.