This year’s deadly flu made the quest for a universal flu shot more urgent
At least 40 different universal flu vaccine candidates are being developed right now, but a flu season without the flu is still a long way away.
The goal is to create a vaccine that can protect people against a broad range of flu viruses for at least a year or longer. Doing this would mean no more guessing about which strains will be circulating the following year. More broadly effective vaccines could make for fewer sick people. Some universal flu shot candidates are already being tested in people, and the companies that figure out how to make a universal flu shot stand to make a lot of money.
They also stand to solve a big public health problem because the flu can be serious, even…
