These newer vaccines have several advantages:
They are safe for patients with egg allergies. Because most flu vaccine is made from eggs, many people with egg allergies can’t receive the traditional flu shot.
They don’t require a massive supply of chicken eggs, and could still be made even if a bird flu epidemic wiped out chicken flocks.
They need less manufacturing time than egg-based vaccines, meaning vaccine production could be ramped up quickly in case of a flu pandemic. This also might give the FDA more time to make their decision on which flu strains should go into the vaccine, reducing the risk of a vaccine–flu mismatch like last year’s.
Scientists are also working on a universal flu vaccine, one that might not need to be changed every year. This vaccine takes advantage of the fact that the H protein has two parts: a head region, which is the part that changes rapidly, and a stem region, which stays more or less the same. Small studies of vaccines using chunks of the stem have shown promising results in animals. Trials of these vaccines are just beginning in humans.
These newer vaccines have several advantages:They are safe for patients with egg allergies. Because most flu vaccine is made from eggs, many people with egg allergies can’t receive the traditional flu shot.They don’t require a massive supply of chicken eggs, and could still be made even if a bird flu epidemic wiped out chicken flocks.They need less manufacturing time than egg-based vaccines, meaning vaccine production could be ramped up quickly in case of a flu pandemic. This also might give the FDA more time to make their decision on which flu strains should go into the vaccine, reducing the risk of a vaccine–flu mismatch like last year’s.Scientists are also working on a universal flu vaccine, one that might not need to be changed every year. This vaccine takes advantage of the fact that the H protein has two parts: a head region, which is the part that changes rapidly, and a stem region, which stays more or less the same. Small studies of vaccines using chunks of the stem have shown promising results in animals. Trials of these vaccines are just beginning in humans.
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