#universal-vaccine

#universal-vaccine

On the basis of surveillance data on which strains were circulating, the WHO selected four that would become the foundation of that year's vaccine. One was an H3N2 virus strain that was the most prevalent of that particular subtype, at that moment. But by the time the vaccine was making its way into people's arms that autumn, a different version of the virus had taken over - and the vaccine was only 6% effective at protecting against it.

Scientists have pursued a universal influenza vaccine for decades to protect against various strains, with recent plans for $500 million in funding marking significant progress.