Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – This year, like many years, people have gotten the flu even though they were vaccinated against it. Scientists are now working on a universal vaccine, which would protect against all flu strains, not just the ones projected to strike any given year.
The director of NIH’s Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci said viruses have some components that change and others that stay the same. Current vaccines only prompt the body to take action against the part of the virus that changes each season.
“The goal of a universal flu vaccine is to get a vaccine that induces a response against that part of the virus that doesn’t readily change from season to season,” Fauci said.
The universal vaccine would provide broader coverage and would mean people wouldn’t have to get a new flu shot every year according to Fauci.
While this new vaccine is promising, Fauci said there’s a lot of work that needs to be done on it.
“It’s not gonna happen overnight, but that’s really the end game of where we’re trying to go,” Fauci said.
The universal vaccine will roll out in stages according to Fauci. It will protect against more and more strains each year.
Copyright 2017 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: CNN)
