Long-term vaccine could end annual flu jab
Jay, 57, smiled in pictures with Cheryl Baker and Mike Nolan, 63, two of her fellow Eurovision Song Contest winners.
Cheryl, 64, was upbeat about her friend and said: “Back together with Jay again. She is obviously not well enough to work yet but she is doing brilliantly. Top Bird.”
Jay said her time in hospital had “been my toughest 10 days ever”. But she remained optimistic about her progress. Jab will last longer A VACCINE is being developed that could mean yearly flu jabs being scrapped.
The team behind the breakthrough believes two or three injections would give long-term protection against different strains of the illness.
Lead researcher Professor Sun- etra Gupta, of Oxford University, said: “It provides the opportunity to develop not only a more effective vaccine against endemic influenza, with lower healthcare costs, but also better protection against potential influenza pandemics.”
Each year scientists have to predict what the new strain of flu will look like.
There is the risk the virus will have mutated by the time the vaccine is developed. Public Health England said this winter’s jab was only 15% effective overall.
The flu vaccine used at the moment works by triggering an immune response and helping the body to recognise antigens.
But the new vaccine targets part of the antigens called epitopes. The epitopes vary far less in different strains.
Prof Wendy Barclay, of Imperial College London, said: “This work... would mean we don’t have to update the flu vaccine yearly.
“But if a new pandemic came along, chances are this type of vaccine wouldn’t work against [it].” ■ The HPV vaccine given to girls to protect against cervical cancer is also to be offered to boys in England. Scotland and Wales recently announced plans to do the same. HPV also causes throat cancer.