Hardier flu shot in the works

How often have you heard someone say they once got the flu after getting a flu shot — usually as a lame excuse for not getting one this year?

This bit from Smithsonian perked us up: “Every year, we make a new flu vaccine by studying the strains present in the Southern Hemisphere during their winter. Scientists are essentially making an educated prediction as to what this year’s strain will be — which is why some years the vaccine isn’t as effective. But that may be about to change. Earlier this year researchers announced that they had designed — but not yet created — a vaccine that covers 95 percent of U.S. flu strains and another that works on 88 percent of worldwide strains. Also this year, the National Institutes of Health researchers identified three types of antibodies that, in vitro, neutralized ‘diverse subtypes’ of flu viruses.”

Do you get your shots? Email me at rrollins@coxohio.com.