"Prospects for Universal Influenza Virus Vaccine"

The current issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases (a CDC publication) includes a paper by Walter Gerhard and colleagues outlining the potential for developing a universal flu vaccine. Such a vaccine would target common areas of the virus, theoretically eliminating the need for annual vaccination, which can target only three specific flu strains each year. The choice of strains to include in the vaccine must be made months in advance of flu season, leading to decreased effectiveness if the virus mutates differently than anticipated in the intervening months.

As the paper describes, animal data on such a vaccination strategy is favorable, though a human vaccine is many, many years away.