Will There Ever Be A Universal Flu Shot?

January 21,2018

It’s the middle of flu season in the US and there has been a lot of talk this year about whether or not to get the annual flu shot. This season’s flu vaccine is not as effective as in previous years, which is causing hesitation among some people. That being said, the vaccine can still reduce the risk of contracting full-blown influenza by 40% to 60%. Even those getting sick typically have decreased symptoms compared to patients who did not get the flu shot.

The important thing to remember is even though we call it “the flu” there are actually several strains of the influenza virus circulating every year. One of those strains, dubbed the H3N2 virus, has been particularly difficult to vaccinate against. The flu virus is constantly changing as it makes its way around the globe every year. This is why annual flu shots have become common; scientists need to create new vaccines every year to compensate for these mutations. The H3N2 variation occurred while vaccine development was already in progress.

Many people become frustrated with the inconvenience of annual shots and even more simply hate needles in the first place. Lucky for them there are several groups working on a universal flu vaccine, which would protect against a greater variety of strains for a longer period of time. One company, Vaccitech out of Oxford, is getting closer to their goal. The company has raised nearly $30 million from investors and has begun a two-year Phase 2 clinical trial on their version of a universal vaccine. Among the other teams working toward this goal are the US National Institutes of Health and the Crucell Vaccine Centre in the Netherlands.

Any universal flu shot is still years away from hitting the market. Until then, it is still critically important to get annual flu shots. Hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized around the world every year because of the flu with thousands of them dying from flu-related causes. For patients 18 to 64 who hate needles the vaccine can be delivered by a jet injector, a device that delivers the shot via a narrow stream of fluid which penetrates the skin at high pressure. Though nasal spray vaccines have been used in the past, for the 2017 – 2018 flu season the CDC is not recommending their use.

While the young and the elderly are most at risk from complications due to the flu virus, it is recommended that everyone over the age of 6 months get their shot annually. Although it is near the peak of flu season in the US, it is still not too late to get the shot; contact your primary care physician or schedule your appointment with PrimeMED today.