Promising bird flu vaccine

A new vaccine is being developed that may give protection against pathogenic bird flu, H5N1 and its mutations. Researchers at Purdue University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested the new vaccine in mice, which gave a year-long protection against H5N1. Whether the same results will show in humans is yet to be proven.

The scientists are developing vaccines that can be stored in advance, can provide protection for a certain period until a matching vaccine can be developed for new variations of the bird flu. This vaccine is not produced by using eggs, which is the traditional method of producing flu vaccines. It uses an adjuvant so only lower doses are needed. The vaccine can also be stockpiled, making it available to more people.

More details of this exciting development, here.