Will there be a universal flu vaccine? Start of research

Influenza, an acute infectious disease caused by the influenza virus, affects the respiratory tract. You can get it many times and you will develop immunity, but it only protects you for a short time because the flu virus is constantly changing. Each time the body comes into contact with new, yet unknown microbes. Because of this, new vaccines have to be produced every year. But now there is hope that it will. one universal flu vaccine.

It is worth remembering that the flu can pose a serious threat to human health, and in some cases even life. This is especially dangerous for children, the elderly, and those at higher risk for certain diseases.

Research into a universal influenza vaccine

Patients are being recruited for early-stage clinical trials of the universal influenza vaccine, which based on mRNA technology. This technology has been widely used in COVID-19 vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer. Scientists believe that it will protect against a wide range of influenza strains and therefore provide long-term immunity so that people do not need to be vaccinated every year.

“A universal influenza vaccine would be a significant public health achievement and could eliminate the need for annual development of seasonal influenza vaccines as well as the need for yearly influenza vaccination of patients,” said Dr. Hugh Auchincloss, Acting Director of NIAID. the message says.

“In addition, some strains of the influenza virus have significant pandemic potential. He added that a universal influenza vaccine could provide an important line of defense against the spread of a future influenza pandemic.

The study will involve 50 healthy people (volunteers) aged 18 to 49 years. The goal is to ensure that the experimental injection is safe and elicits an immune response. The universal vaccine was developed by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Volunteer recruitment has already begun at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Study participants must be followed up for one year after receiving the vaccine to test it. safety and efficiency. People who have received a vaccine that protects against four strains of the virus will also take part in a study to compare the experimental vaccine with vaccines currently available on the market.

No more flu shots every year?

Every year a new vaccine is produced to protect us in the coming flu season. Due to the fact that the virus is changing, every year the vaccine has a slightly different composition. Modern vaccines provide significant protection against hospitalizations, but their effectiveness can vary from year to year, and scientists need to predict in advance which flu strains will prevail. These, in turn, may change until the manufacturer releases a vaccine. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu vaccines reduce the risk of getting sick by 40%. up to 60% if they are well matched to circulating strains. However, it happens that vaccines are only 19% effective because the injection was not matched.

According to the CDC, the flu killed between 12,000 and 52,000 people in the US annually from 2010 to 2020, depending on the strains circulating and the degree of vaccine compliance. The incidence of influenza in Poland is also not low. In recent years, their number (as well as the number of cases of suspected influenza) each time exceeded several million.