A flu vaccine that works against all flu viruses and provides protection for at least two decades is getting closer to reality, according to scientists at Mount Sinai Health System.
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From ABC News
Flu vaccine unaffected by virus mutations on the horizon
the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:
Researchers associated with the Mount Sinai Health System believe that a universal flu vaccine could be closer to development.
Typical vaccines are only partially effective, because production must begin months before the start of flu season. The virus often mutates, resulting in a less-than-effective yearly flu vaccine. For example, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this year's flu vaccine is only 33 percent effective.
The new aim is to develop a vaccine that specifically targets a portion of the flu virus that remains unchanged from year to year, in theory yielding a much more effective vaccine. Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News chief health and medical editor, cautioned that scientists have yet to present any evidence of a functioning universal flu vaccine, but Dr. Peter Palese, the chair of the department of microbiology of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, feels his team has created a vaccine that will work.
Dr. Palese reported that his team's vaccine formulation is scheduled to go into clinical trials later this year, which will provide more information as to the actual effectiveness of this possible universal design.
