New York Post : declared in The flu vaccine is about to get cheaper and more effective

The flu vaccine of the future could do a better job of keeping you healthy. To produce the flu vaccine, manufacturers use chicken eggs. Last year, the vaccine was nearly 60 percent effective at preventing the flu overall, but was only 51 percent effective against the H1N1 strains responsible for most flu illnesses that season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite the potential for the flu shot to be ineffective for now, it's still worth it to get one. And in tests on mice, the researchers' vaccine combatted the specific strain of influenza it was designed for as well as a traditional vaccine.

New process may enhance flu vaccine effectiveness

A new method of producing the seasonal flu vaccine could expedite the process and provide better protection against infection. Officials said for decades vaccine manufacturers have used chicken eggs to grow the flu virus strains included in the seasonal flu shot – with the resulting vaccine often serving as an imperfect match to the actual virus that it is supposed to protect against. The authors said after researchers had grown the virus in chicken eggs for a while, they harvested the virus, sequenced the human HA protein and did not find a single mutation. Study findings published in mBio revealed Duke University researchers have devised a way to keep the human influenza virus from mutating during production, generating a perfect match to the target vaccine in a shorter time frame. "This research could lead to a significantly cheaper and more efficacious vaccine."Heaton and his team attempted to engineer a virus that would both grow happily in chicken eggs and produce the hemagglutinin (HA) protein required to protect people.


The flu vaccine of the future could do a better job of keeping you healthy. To produce the flu vaccine, manufacturers use chicken eggs. Don't miss: 7 unexpected places germs hide during flu seasonDespite the potential for the flu shot to be ineffective for now, it's still worth it to get one. And in tests on mice, the researchers' vaccine combatted the specific strain of influenza it was designed for as well as a traditional vaccine. Getting it too early could mean it won't be effective for the entire flu season, while waiting too long could be dicey if supplies run low.


collected by :Lucy William

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