The Potential of a Universal Flu Vaccine
As the swine flu outbreak nears a potential global pandemic, discussions about strategies to control the spread and severity of infection continue. Andrew Pollack discusses the development of a universal flu vaccine today in the New York Times. The work is especially challenging, he explains, because the proteins that do not vary from strain to strain are hidden on the inside of viruses, tucked out of the reach of antibodies.
But pharmaceutical interventions have their limits in the face of an outbreak, explained Jason Schwartz recently in Science Progress, and there are simple, swift public health solutions to stopping the spread of disease like isolating exposed individuals. Schwartz wrote that the severity of the current outbreak depends on how promptly infected populations are separated from healthy, unexposed populations. A public education initiative on isolation may not be headline material, but it reduces transmission rates—hence the raft of school closings across the country.
On the other hand, a universal vaccine would provide years of protection from all types of flu, Pollack explains. It would also eliminate the need to guess which strains should be included in a seasonal vaccine—a decision that makes or breaks a vaccine’s efficacy. This solution is especially appealing because of its cost effectiveness for countries that cannot afford annual vaccinations.
Despite the promise of these approaches, both face obstacles in implementation. Voluntary, and especially involuntary, isolation and quarantine policies are controversial because of potential individual liberties violations. As well, a universal flu vaccine will take years to create since the influenza virus mutates much more rapidly than that of measles or polio. It would take six months just to produce the first doses of a vaccine aimed at swine flu, but isolation strategies work immediately.
Image: AP.
Comments on this article
By clicking and submitting a comment I acknowledge the Science Progress Privacy Policy and agree to the Science Progress Terms of Use. I understand that my comments are also being governed by Facebook's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
