American researchers are trying to build a more effective flu shot.
Researchers in the US are experimenting on a flu vaccine that could change the shot people get every year. This will allow for one shot to last for several flu seasons.
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseased (NIAID), said that flu virus is always changing, due to the various strains. “Even on a good year, the effectiveness of the vaccine [that we have now] is about 60%. On a bad year, it’s as low as 10%,” he told CNN.
Having a universal vaccine, the one they are working on, may stop that. The National Institute of Health has been working on this universal vaccine for a decade now, but a recent executive order from the White House has pushed support for this research
At the moment, they have invited volunteers who would like to be part of the research trial. One of the volunteers, Michael Sonn, wanted to be included because of his personal connection with the flu.
“My grandfather was orphaned due to the flu epidemic in April 1919,” he said. In 1918-1919, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50 million people, which was a third of the world population at that time.
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