Prevention: Vaccines and Healthy Habits
Vaccine Delivery: Alternatives to the Needle
For people who find an annual flu shot inconvenient or scary—and there may be quite a few, given that nearly two-thirds of Americans missed their flu vaccine last year—help may be on the way.
In Search of the Be-All, End-All Vaccine
Flu vaccines act by giving the immune system a preview of certain proteins found on the flu virus. However, influenza virus changes every season. The changes make each year's version of the flu unrecognizable to the immune system. Scientists are searching for less variable flu parts to develop longer lasting vaccines.
Improving Vaccine Efficiency
The current practice of injecting the flu virus into fertilized hens’ eggs requires at least six months—and hundreds of millions of eggs—to produce a sufficient supply of vaccine for the U.S. population. NIAID scientists research how to make the vaccine development more efficient.
Healthful Habits: The Effects of Exercise and Nutrition on Flu-Fighting
Scientists are looking at the affects of a healthy lifestyle on how well the immune system responds to a flu vaccine.
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