Hope of lifelong flu vaccine

A vaccine combining genes from four major strains of influenza could provide lifelong protection, according to research by a team from the Nebraska Centre for Virology in the US.

When mice were given the vaccine they survived exposure to lethal doses of seven out of nine different influenza viruses.

Meanwhile, those who were given higher doses of the vaccine didn’t get sick at all.

In contrast, mice that received traditional flu shots or nasal sprays all sickened and died when exposed to the same viruses.

The deadly pathogens were able to evade the immune responses triggered by traditional vaccines.

While it is too soon to say whether the new vaccine could be successfully used in humans, the university researchers are hopeful it could lead to the creation of a universal flu shot, said the study’s lead researcher Eric Weaver.

He said: “The ultimate goal is to be able to vaccinate once and provide lifelong protection.

“To put this in other terms, our current influenza vaccine programmes and technologies reduce influenza infections and hospitalisation by 4.75% and 6.9% respectively. There is no doubt that there is a need for more effective vaccine technologies.

“An ideal influenza vaccine would be inexpensive, provide long-lasting immunity, require few immunisations and would work against all variants.”

Other experts say, however, that we may not have a universal flu vaccine until as late as 2025.

Because the flu virus mutates, it has been difficult to develop an effective jab. Conventional vaccines use weakened or dead versions of the virus to stimulate immunity.