Submitted by AskScienceModerator t3_yxofvc in askscience
haley_bridgewater t1_iwrizir wrote
Reply to comment by Soniktts in AskScience AMA Series: We're Experts on Influenza (aka the Flu). AUA! by AskScienceModerator
>It's totally possible! Scientists have been working on this for years and have some promising candidates being tested in humans right now. Below is some more information that I compiled for another question and here is a good article on one of the universal flu vaccines.
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>The current influenza vaccines vaccinate against the active binding sight (head) of the hemagglutinin. This is on of the the spots that mutates every year. The
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>universal influenza vaccine vaccinates against the stalk of the hemagglutinin. This portion of the virus does not rapidly change. There are a number of universal vaccines in clinical trials. These clinical trials ensure the vaccine is effective and safe before it reaches the market. If the vaccines that are currently in clinical trials meet the high standards, we might see a universal flu vaccine in the near future.
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