Category: Flu Vaccine

A recent mouse study found that dietary interventions led to better metabolic biomarkers and improved flu vaccine response. Friso Gentsch/picture alliance via Getty Images This article originally appeared on Medical News Today

The World Health Organization estimates that vaccination efforts have saved154 million livesin the last fifty years.

Multiple factors can influence vaccine effectiveness, and researchers are interested in studying the best ways to increase vaccine efficacy.

A study conducted in mice with obesity found that dietary interventions resulting in weight loss led to better metabolic biomarkers and improved flu vaccine effectiveness.

The results highlight the potential impact of a balanced diet and metabolic health on vaccine response.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that immunization efforts have helped save 154 million people over the past 50 years. This information highlights the helpfulness of vaccines.

However, certain immunizations, such as the flu vaccine, are not always as effective as wed like them to be due to various factors.

A recent mouse studyexamined how healthy dietary interventions prior to vaccination could influence metabolic health and increase flu vaccine effectiveness. The findings show that improved metabolic health led to better immune function, which increased the vaccine response.

Future research could explore how these findings, recently published inNature Microbiology, could apply to humans.

The researchers note that obesity is associated with a higher risk of severe infectious diseases, including the flu.

While this heightened risk makes it more critical for this group to get vaccinated, researchers note that obesity can also decrease the effectiveness of flu vaccines.

For the study, they tested a few different scenarios to see if dietary changes helped prior to and after vaccination.

They took two groups of mice and fed one group a lean diet and the other a high fat diet. The mice then received a flu vaccine. After vaccination, some mice that were on the high fat diet were switched to the control diet. Mice then received a lethal dose of the flu virus, homotypic H1N1, after either 4 weeks or 12 weeks on the control diet.

Researchers found that switching to a healthy diet post-vaccination did not improve survival despite the weight loss that the previously obese mice experienced.

The previously obese mice had only a 24% survival rate after 4 weeks on the control diet and a 28% survival rate after 12 weeks on the control diet. However, the results suggested that dietary changes to lose weight after vaccination may help control viral spread.

The results were much different when the dietary changes were made pre-vaccination. To test this, researchers had certain obese mice switch to the lean control diet 4 weeks before vaccination. This switch allowed for several systemic measurements of metabolic dysfunction to return to normal and for weight loss to occur.

Researchers observed an improved immune response in these mice, particularly among their T cells, and decreased morbidity and mortality.

After exposure to the flu virus, the formerly obese mice had a 100% survival rate. The results suggest that specific dietary changes and weight loss may help improve the flu vaccines effectiveness.

The research also adds to what we know about how obesity may impact immune response, which will be an area for continued research.

We have known since the 2009 H1N1 flu epidemic that people with obesity are at increased risk of severe flu and death, and we have seen similar findings with COVID-19. It is not entirely clear why, however it could be decreased lung function and/or other factors, non-study authorMarci Drees, MD, chief infection prevention officer and hospital epidemiologist for ChristianaCare, told Medical News Today.

Its important to remember that this study was conducted in mice, and of course, mice are not humans so it is certainly not definitive in terms of proving that people with obesity dont respond as well to flu vaccines, Drees said.

The studys main limitation is that it was conducted in mice, meaning further investigation is needed before these findings could be applied to humans.

Researchers also note they were limited in their ability to determine certain factors, as they had a low sample size of mice on the high fat diet who survived exposure to the flu. They acknowledge the need fora morein-depth investigation of how nutrition affects immune cell function during vaccination and infection.

There have been some small studies in the past that showed that people with obesity were more likely to get the flu, even if vaccinated, compared to vaccinated people who were not obese and despite having good levels of antibodies against the flu strains in the vaccines that year, Drees said.

There is a lot more that needs to be studied in this area to better understand the interactions between obesity, the flu virus, and the flu vaccine.

Non-study authorDr. Linda Yancey, director of infection prevention at the Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, noted the following to MNT:

First off, this is a mouse study. It goes without saying that mice are not people. This looks like a nice foundational study to base future human trials on. Studies like these are more important than many people give them credit for because they prove something that everyone generally agrees upon a healthy diet and weight loss are good for you. While we all believe this to be true, it is nice to see solid scientific data backing this up.

The findings demonstrate that a healthy diet could affect vaccine effectiveness, but this doesnt mean that people with obesity should avoid vaccination.

As theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)notes, people with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher can be at an increased risk for flu complications. Thus, vaccination might be even moreimportantin this demographic.

People can talk with their doctors about personal risk factors that may increase complications if they get sick with the flu. They can also discuss any potential risks from the vaccine itself and how effective the vaccine may be for them.

While the study wont lead to immediate change in clinical practice or recommendations, weight loss among individuals who are obese is generally encouraged by healthcare professionals.

[The study] will need to be followed up by a human trial to see if the observation holds up, Yancey noted.

If so, then we could potentially recommend a healthy diet and weight loss in the weeks leading up to vaccination. However, this is a general recommendation for everyone already. So, there wouldnt be any big changes in overall health advice.

Dress said she wouldnt change any current recommendations based on this one study in mice, noting the following:

There are many health benefits to losing weight, and [a] better response to vaccines might be one of them. But that is really just a theory right now. I definitely would still highly promote influenza vaccine regardless of your weight and I would probably recommend it even more highly in persons with obesity because we know their risk of severe flu is higher.

So, I wouldnt want someone to not get vaccinated because they think the flu vaccine wont work for them there is also good evidence that even if you get the flu after being vaccinated, your risk of severe disease and death is lower. Persons living with obesity should discuss with their doctor what their options are for weight loss, but should still definitely get their annual flu shot.

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Diet and metabolic health may influence flu vaccine effectiveness - AOL

Masks off: Health care workers, without flu vaccine, no longer required to wear a mask

by Jana DeCamilla

Masks off: health care workers, without flu vaccine, no longer required to wear a mask. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (WRGB)

As of Wednesday, the New York State Department of Health no longer requires health care workers without the influenza vaccine to wear a mask.

Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald today announced, due to the decline in recorded flu cases, the illness is no longer prevalent in the State for the 2023-24 influenza season, also rescinding the masking requirement for health care workers who are not vaccinated against flu.

Commissioner McDonald declared flu prevalent in New York on Dec. 6, 2023, requiring health care personnel, who were not vaccinated against influenza, to wear a mask in health care settings.

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Masks off: Health care workers, without flu vaccine, no longer required to wear a mask - WRGB

MITCHELL South Dakota saw a flu season that was stronger than normal this year.

According to a recent report issued by the South Dakota Department of Health, the 2023-24 flu season is the worst in the past five years. The state has set five-year highs for the number of confirmed flu cases along with the most hospitalizations and deaths since 2018-19.

This flu season has included 19,911 confirmed cases. Davison County accounts for 529 of that total. The 831 hospitalizations statewide were the most since 2017-18 when there were 878 hospitalizations. The number of deaths was also the highest at 44, one more than 2018-19 when there were 43 deaths.

Those between the ages of 25 and 49 are the most likely to catch the flu, followed by younger people ages 5 to 24. The highest affected age group this season however was those between the ages of 5 to 24.

While numbers were higher than they have been in previous seasons, the data does not represent the severity of illness, according to State Epidemiologist Dr. Joshua Clayton. Clayton said the severity of the illness was similar to influenza seasons prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Though it is tough to pinpoint any single reason for this seasons bustling flu activity, medical professionals shed light on what they saw and why this flu season is setting records.

Dr. Darren Manthey, an emergency medicine physician with Avera Medical Group in Mitchell, agreed that flu activity seemed widespread this year.

We had high rates of emergency department visits and outpatient visits, Manthey said. I would say it was a moderately severe season.

Manthey also says the season ran later this year. Flu season typically peaks in the first week of February in South Dakota. However, the DOH stated the peak for the 2023-24 flu season wasnt until the second week of March.

Manthey suggests that one of the reasons the flu hit the state harder this year is because fewer people chose to get their flu shots this year.

The vaccination rate is slightly down this year, Manthey said. Lower vaccination rates mean more people arent protected and there are greater opportunities for the virus to spread.

The downward trend in Influenza immunization has Avera Vice President of Clinical Quality Dr. David Basel concerned.

The lower herd immunity will likely lead to increased numbers and severity of the disease especially in the very young, the very old and the immunosuppressed, Basel said.

While those getting the flu shot were down this year, according to Megan Jensen, a spokesperson for Sanford Health. System officials for Sanford said the flu shot this year was very protective against the influenza strains that were in existence this season.

Vaccine makers have to make educated guesses as they create flu shots well in advance of the respiratory virus season. Sometimes, the guesses are only so-so. But the ingredients in this years vaccine appeared to be right on target.

The influenza and Covid vaccines were extremely effective, lowering the number of severe cases and hospitalizations, Jensen said. Vaccines continue to be the best protection against respiratory illnesses.

Clayton also attributes the higher number to improvements in testing and reporting. There have been improvements in lab testing, so more clinics were able to do confirmatory influenza testing in clinic rather than having to send specimens to outside laboratories.

There have also been advancements in electronic laboratory reporting that have resulted in more timely and more accurate reporting that is automatic and not submitter based, according to Clayton.

Manthey points out that people often misuse the term flu. Influenza is different than having whats often called the stomach flu. Sometimes people mistake symptoms of the stomach flu for the viral infection commonly called flu. But theyre not the same.

Lots of people talk about getting the stomach flu, so theyll get nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. They will say they have the flu, Manthey said. Its important to recognize that influenza is a different disease.

The flu, or influenza, comes with symptoms like fever, congestion, muscle aches and fatigue.

While the severity of influenza affecting people was not abnormal, some people report feeling sick or longer or struggling to recover from seasonal illnesses.

The Influenza A I had was terrible, said Karli Kiner, of Mitchell. I had it three weeks ago and still have a lingering cough."

While people seem to be feeling a lot more rotten than usual, the good news it's probably not Covid or even Covid-related. While there are some theories out there that say immune changes may play a role in those with long-Covid syndrome, the linkage remains unclear at this time.

Basel said while there have been some studies suggesting that those who had severe (hospitalized) Covid have detectable changes in the immune system for many months, there is no clear evidence of immune changes in a more generalized population that had milder cases.

We are still learning about what, if any, effect Covid will have on long-term immunity, Basel said.

A small study done last year by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease found that people who recovered from severe Covid infections had long-lasting changes to their immune system for up to one year. It found stem cells from people with severe Covid produced more white blood cells which then produced more inflammatory signals in the body.

That study was done with cells in a laboratory Petri dish. Experts dont really know what it all means clinically in a human body.

Theres no evidence to support that Covid has damaged immune systems, Manthey said.

Manthey suggests people might just be more aware of how we feel.

A logical explanation as to why people seem more susceptible to illness than ever before is because we went through a respiratory virus pandemic and we are now more attuned to looking for illness than we were before the pandemic, Manthey said.

Jennifer Leither joined the Mitchell Republic in April 2024. She was raised in Sioux Falls, S.D. where she attended Lincoln High School. She continued her education at South Dakota State University, graduating in December 2000 with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. During her time in college, Leither worked as a reporter for the campus newpaper, The Collegian. She also interned for Anderson Publications in Canistota, SD the summer of 2000. Upon graduation, Leither continued to reside in the Sioux Falls area and worked as a freelance writer for the Argus Leader for a number of years. /jennifer-leither

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South Dakota saw nearly 20K flu cases this year as fewer people were vaccinated - Mitchell Republic

In a recent review published in the journal Nature Reviews Immunology, researchers discussed the limitations of current influenza vaccines and the potential for future vaccines to induce both T-cell responses and antibodies for enhanced protection. They examined the strategies to develop influenza vaccines with broad strain specificity and long-term efficacy, covering protection requirements, immune response evaluation, expected outcomes, and financial considerations.

Study: Opportunities and challenges for T cell-based influenza vaccines. Image Credit:CI Photos/ Shutterstock

Influenza, a longstanding public health challenge, has caused significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, with annual death tolls up to 650,000. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic temporarily lowered influenza activity, but as restrictions ease, cases are resurging. Vaccination remains pivotal in mitigating influenza's impact, yet existing vaccines have limitations, including variable effectiveness. Prioritizing vaccination for high-risk groups is crucial. The present review highlights the importance of ongoing influenza prevention efforts amid evolving public health landscapes. It explores enhancing traditional influenza vaccines by eliciting broader and more durable immune responses across multiple influenza strains and seasons.

The past decade has seen advancements in influenza vaccine technologies, including quadrivalent formulations and non-egg-based production methods, aiming to improve strain specificity and durability. Antibody-focused strategies dominate, but recent research suggests inducing broadly reactive antibodies targeting hemagglutinin stem regions and neuraminidase for universal influenza vaccines. Effectiveness varies yearly, with recent high-dose, adjuvanted, and novel cell-based vaccines showing modest improvements. However, even the best influenza vaccines fall short compared to highly efficacious vaccines for other pathogens, underscoring the need for further research and innovation.

Influenza vaccine performance is challenged by antigenic variation, original antigenic sin, high levels of pre-existing immunity in the population, and a focus on antibody responses rather than broader immune activation. Antigenic shifts in circulating viruses, coupled with pre-existing immunity, reduce vaccine effectiveness. Original antigenic sin may limit vaccine efficacy by preferentially boosting cross-reactive antibodies. Moreover, the predominance of antibody-based vaccines may not fully replicate natural immune responses, suggesting a need for innovative strategies to induce more comprehensive immunity, including CD4+ (cluster of differentiation 4) and CD8+ T-cell responses.

T-cells play a crucial role in influenza virus immunity, contributing to protection through cytotoxicity, inflammatory cytokine release, and support for antibody responses. CD4+ T-cells, particularly TH1 cells, are essential for promoting antibody responses and clearing infected cells, while CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) target and kill infected cells. Additionally, CD4+ T helper cells support B-cell responses, and resident memory T-cells (TRM) provide rapid resistance to local infection, potentially intercepting early infectious events. Despite challenges such as antigenic variation and immune memory, T-cell responses remain vital for influenza vaccine efficacy and could be harnessed for improved protection strategies.

Multiple studies in both mouse models and humans demonstrate the protective role of T-cells, particularly CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, against influenza virus infection. While T-cell responses may not prevent infection, they reduce symptomatic illness and contribute to viral clearance. Studies involving human challenge with influenza viruses show correlations between pre-existing T-cell responses and reduced virus shedding and symptom severity. Observational studies during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic and subsequent seasons further support the protective effects of T-cell immunity against symptomatic influenza illness. However, the potential role of non-neutralizing antibodies in mediating protection alongside T-cell responses warrants further investigation. Overall, these findings underscore the importance of T-cell-mediated immunity in influenza virus defense.

Hemagglutinin in vaccines generates neutralizing antibodies, and neuraminidase induces non-neutralizing antibodies. Adjuvants enhance immune function. Vaccine delivery routes influence systemic or local responses. Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines induce CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Viral vectors elicit CD8+ T-cell responses. Nanoparticles promote tissue-resident memory T-cell priming. Optimizing these factors can enhance influenza vaccine efficacy by stimulating appropriate immune responses.

Recent trials of T-cell-inducing influenza vaccines yielded mixed results. While OVX836 showed 84% protection, FLU-v demonstrated efficacy with a single dose, and M-001 showed no efficacy. Concerns include narrow T-cell responses. Safety was good, highlighting the need for more extensive phase IIb or III trials. Criteria for success of T-cell vaccines require careful consideration.

Combining T-cell-inducing vaccines with antibody-inducing ones enhances protection, replicating the synergistic response observed in natural infections. This approach is currently under investigation in vaccine development against COVID-19 and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Measuring immune responses in vaccine development poses challenges due to the complexity of correlating protective mechanisms. Evaluating T-cell responses is particularly intricate, requiring sophisticated assays and considerations of compartmentalization, while assessing success relies on endpoints that may not fully capture T-cell-mediated protection, emphasizing the need for comprehensive evaluation methods in clinical trials.

In conclusion, efforts to improve influenza vaccines, including T-cell-inducing strategies, are crucial given their modest efficacy compared to other vaccines. Innovative approaches, bolstered by lessons from COVID-19, hold promise for addressing the ongoing burden of influenza, necessitating increased research, investment, and a redefined approach to vaccine development and evaluation.

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New influenza vaccine strategies aim to enhance protection with T-cell responses - News-Medical.Net

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Vaccine "fatigue" has been blamed for a drop in flu jab uptake among NHS workers at a Nottinghamshire trust.

Fewer than three in five workers at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust got the flu vaccine this winter, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Health bosses said that staff having already had multiple jabs was one of the "main reasons" for the drop.

The national NHS flu vaccination target is 80% but only 43% of workers got it.

Vaccine fatigue has also been cited as a reason the rate of administered flu vaccines was dropping nationally, the LDRS said.

All frontline healthcare and social workers are eligible for the flu vaccine through their employer, according to the LDRS which said it was recommended that people get the vaccine annually as it is updated depending on which strains are most prevalent.

At the trust, which runs King's Mill Hospital, Newark Hospital, and Mansfield Community Hospital, fewer than 59% of healthcare staff got the jab - down from 62% in 2023.

Members of the trust's board heard on Thursday that research is being carried out into the growing hesitancy.

Robert Simcox, director of people, said: "One of the main reasons we've found is vaccine fatigue.

"People have had multiple vaccines before and felt unwell, whether it's groggy, tired or sore arms."

He added that accessibility was "also a challenge" and said vaccinations were easier for people to get during the pandemic.

"We need to increase the opportunities for staff to have it any time of day in their place of work," he said.

The LDRS said the meeting was told that the past two flu seasons had been very mild, which may be leading to complacency.

Claire Ward, chair of the board, said: "Healthcare workers should be more receptive to arguments about the importance of vaccination and the bigger public issues.

"We need to communicate the importance, and hopefully it doesn't take a bad winter to increase the uptake."

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'Vaccine fatigue' blamed for drop in NHS staff uptake of flu jab - BBC.com

There are hopes the "holy grail" of flu vaccines could become a reality after a discovery made by Australian researchers. Scientists at the Doherty Institute have identified nine new similarities between different types of the influenza B virus, which can be particularly dangerous for children. Killer T-cells in the immune system each reacted strongly to those nine fragments, which lead researcher Katherine Kedzierska likened to a "target" for future vaccines that aim to fight off all forms of the flu.

"The findings are significant as they pave the way for the design of potential vaccines," the University of Melbourne and Doherty Institute laboratory head said.

"If we can have a universal flu vaccine that would be an enormous breakthrough," Kelly told ABC TV on Tuesday.

"This is especially important for individuals in high-risk groups, including the elderly, pregnant women and people with comorbidities."

Authorities have recorded 42,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu in Australia so far in 2024 and more than 289,000 cases in 2023.

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Hopes 'holy grail' of flu vaccines could become a reality - SBS News

Duke University researchers are continuing their efforts to create a better, longer-lasting flu vaccine.

New research announced Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine looked at hemagglutinin. Its the protein that allows the flu virus to attach to a human cell and make a person sick.

Scientists created an experimental vaccine that encouraged the immune system to target different areas of the flu virus to help fight infection.

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In essence what we are trying to do is figure out a way to get our immune systems to see parts of the virus that the virus doesnt want us to see, explained Nicholas Heaton, Ph.D.

Heaton is the study lead. He currently works as an associate professor of molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke.

He explained creating a vaccine that targeted parts of the flu virus that vary less between strains could potentially offer broader protection for different kinds of flu within the same shot.

The approach that we took was to make a really complex mixture of virus proteins where essentially all these epitopes are kind of scrambled to make the immune system have a better chance of seeing parts of the protein they wouldnt normally see, said Heaton.

Current annual flu shots offer protection for roughly six months due to mutations in the virus and varying strains that circulate each flu season. Scientists predict a universal flu vaccine could increase protection by a few years form a single shot.

The new study showed the experimental vaccine was more effective than traditional flu vaccines when given to mice.

Mice were tested in three groups: those given the experimental vaccine, those given a traditional flu shot and a control group.

They were then given lethal doses of two kinds of flu virus. One strain was what the traditional flu shot was tailored directly to fight and the second strain was of a mutation to the virus.

The mice that were given the experimental vaccine had the highest level of protection in both scenarios, losing a very small amount of body weight and surviving, compared to the other two groups.

Heaton said the results are encouraging but notes there is a long way to go before the research develops into a dose regularly used in humans.

Its tempered enthusiasm to some extent, he explained. We have something that out of all the ideas we tested this one is looking really good and really promising.

When asked how long he thought it could be until the research turned into a human vaccine, Heaton hypothesized it could take another decade.

I think this will probably ultimately manifest as a couple different shots for different age groups. There will probably be a couple different shots for babies that do a good job, for adults, for the elderly, said Heaton. You may need to get it once every five years, once every ten years. I would say those type of things are much more reasonable goals.

Heaton says the next step for this study is to continue testing the vaccine against multiple other flu strains in mice to see if the doses continue to be effective.

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Fewer flu shots: Duke researchers working toward a vaccine that could last for years - WRAL News

Published May 1, 2024 All Meta Credits

Karl Leif Bates Duke Research

Duke researchers have opened a new avenue in the attack against influenza viruses by creating a vaccine that encourages the immune system to target a portion of the virus surface that is less variable.

Their approach worked well in experiments with mice and ferrets and may lead to more broadly-protective influenza vaccines and less reliance on an annual shot tailored to that years versions of the virus. Even with vaccines, influenza kills about a half-million people each year around the world.

This new vaccine approach, described May 1 in the journal Science Translational Medicine, is part of a 5-year-old effort to develop a longer-lasting universal flu vaccine that would be able to foil all versions of the virus.

Influenza strains are referred to by a shorthand code, H5N1 for example, that describes which flavors of two particular surface proteins it carries. The H (sometimes HA), is hemagglutinin, a lollipop-shaped protein that binds to a receptor on a human cell, the first step toward getting the virus inside the cell. The N is neuraminidase, a second protein that enables a newly made virus to escape the host cell and go on to infect other cells.

On the virus particle, there's five to 10 times more hemagglutinin than neuraminidase, said Nicholas Heaton, PhD, an associate professor of molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke who led the research. If we took your blood to see if are you likely to be protected from a strain of flu, we'd be measuring what your antibodies do to hemagglutinin as the best metric of what's likely to happen to you. The strongest correlates of protection have to do with hemagglutinin-directed immunity.

Vaccines teach the immune system to react to pieces of the virus that have been specifically tailored to the versions of influenza that are expected to be the most threatening in the coming flu season. The reason we need a new flu shot every fall isnt because the vaccine wears out; its because the influenza virus is constantly changing the surface proteins that vaccines target.

Flu shots -- and immune systems -- tend to target the bulb-like head of hemagglutinin rather than the stalk. But the details of that head region also change constantly, creating an arms race between vaccine design and viruses. The stalk, by comparison, changes much less.

A number of groups have gone through and experimentally mutagenized the whole hemagglutinin and asked which areas can change and still allow the hemagglutinin to function? Heaton explained. And the answer is, you can't really change the stalk and expect it to continue to function.

So the Duke team sought to design proteins that elicit an immune response more focused on the stalk rather than the head. The virus has evolved to have the immune system recognize these (features on the head region). But these are the shapes the virus can change. That is an insidious strategy, Heaton said.

Using gene-editing, they created more than 80,000 variations of the hemagglutinin protein with changes in one portion right on the top of the head domain and then tested a vaccine filled with a mixture of these variations on mice and ferrets.

Because of the broad variety of head conformations being presented to the immune system and the relative consistency of the stalks, these vaccines produced more antibodies to the stalk portion of hemagglutinin in response. The opportunity for the immune system to see that (head portion) over and over and over, like it needs to, is compromised because there's diversity there, Heaton said.

In lab tests and animals, the experimental vaccine caused the immune system to respond more strongly to stalk regions because they stayed consistent. This boosted the immune response to the vaccine overall, and in some cases, even improved antibody responses to the head region of the protein as well.

Antibodies against the stalk work differently, Heaton said. Their mechanism of protection is not necessarily to block the first step of infection. So then our idea was, What if we can come up with a vaccine that gives us both? What if we can get good head antibodies and at the same time also get stalk antibodies in case the vaccine selection was wrong, or if there's a pandemic?

Essentially, the paper says, Yes, we can accomplish that, Heaton said.

After a shot of the highly variant vaccine was administered in some experiments, 100 percent of the mice avoided illness or death from what should have been a lethal dose of flu viruses.

The next steps of the research will attempt to understand whether the same level of immunity can be achieved by presenting fewer than 80,000 hemagglutinin variants.

This research was funded in part with a contract from the NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (75N93019C00050). It also involved the use of the Duke Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, which received partial support for construction from the NIH/NIAID (UC6 AI058607)

Zhaochen Luo and Nicholas Heaton have a patent on the methods used to create large antigen libraries for this study.

CITATION: Vaccination with Antigenically Complex Hemagglutinin Mixtures Confers Broad Protection From Influenza Disease, Zhaochen Luo , Hector A. Miranda, Kaitlyn N. Burke, M. Ariel Spurrier, Madison Berry, Erica L. Stover, Rachel L. Spreng , Greg Waitt, Erik J. Soderblom, Andrew N. Macintyre, Kevin Wiehe, Nicholas S. Heaton. Science Translational Medicine, May 1, 2024. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adj4685

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New Strategy Could Lead to Universal, Long-Lasting Flu Shot | Duke Today - Duke Today

The U.S. has two vaccines ready should the strain of bird flu circulating in dairy cows begin spreading easily to people, federal health officials said Wednesday. They could begin shipping doses widely within weeks, if needed.

So far, theres no evidence that H5N1 is spreading person-to-person, although one dairy worker in Texas who worked closely with infected cattle had a mild infection and developed conjunctivitis, or pinkeye, in April.

At a briefing Wednesday, government health officials said they are preparing for a potential scenario of H5N1 jumping from animal to person or person to person. The virus has taken off in dairy cows, infecting at least 36 herds across nine states, raising concerns that it could acquire mutations that would make it easier to spill over into humans.

Studies suggest that the vaccines will offer good cross-protection against cattle outbreak viruses, Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on the call Wednesday.

Both of the vaccine candidates are already in the nations stockpile in limited quantities, officials said in a previous interview.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said Wednesday that it is testing blood samples from people previously vaccinated with an influenza vaccine to see if it generates an immune response, although it didnt say which vaccine.

Dawn OConnell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, told NBC News earlier there are hundreds of thousands of prefilled syringes and vials ready to ship, if needed.

Weve been investing in a library of antigens to move out as quickly as possible should we begin to see a highly transmissible flu strain circulate, OConnell said.

H5N1 doesnt transmit easily between people, although global health officials remain concerned due to its high mortality rate, which hovers around 50%, according to the World Health Organization.

There are no signs the virus is mutating to be more transmissible between people, officials said Wednesday.

Vivien Dugan, who heads the CDC's influenza division, said that the government would begin looking at vaccination if there were alterations in the viruss genetic code that would affect its existing countermeasures. It currently has a number of antiviral medications in supply that target influenza viruses, including Tamiflu.

The people needing vaccination and the number of doses that the U.S. would require would hinge on how the virus changes and how widespread the outbreak becomes, experts say.

Right now, there are over 100 people, most of whom work with farm animals, being monitored for signs of infection, officials said.

Should the U.S. need the vaccines, the federal government could ship out hundreds of thousands of doses within a few weeks, OConnell said.

It could have over 100 million doses shipped within three to four months.

Health officials expect that people will need two doses of that vaccine, OConnell added, meaning 100 million doses is only enough for 50 million people.

Again, given this is a hypothetical, its possible the U.S. may not need that many vaccines. But it could also produce more, if needed, OConnell said.

They are produced using traditional vaccine technology that has been the standard approach to vaccines for decades. However, the process can take months.

OConnell said the U.S. is also pursuing a third vaccine based on the same mRNA-technology used in Pfizers and Modernas Covid vaccines. She added that an mRNA vaccine could be quicker to manufacture because you can switch in and switch out the genetic sequencing very easily.

All three vaccines would also need approval from the Food and Drug Administration before they can be distributed across the U.S.

In a statement, the FDA said it is actively engaged with other federal health agencies in assessing pandemic influenza vaccine candidates should the need for a vaccine arise.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said having vaccine candidates on hand is important because it reduces the time needed to get the shots in peoples arms.

During the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, researchers eventually developed a vaccine to prevent the spread of the virus, but by the time the shots were manufactured and ready to be distributed, the outbreak had already petered out, he said.

Its very good that we have reduced the time necessary to create a vaccine by having candidates already available, should they be needed, he said.

Despite the government having two vaccine candidates, there are still a number of questions, including how much protection the shots would provide against infection and severe illness, said Dr. Judith ODonnell, director of infection prevention and control at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Theres a lot we dont know about these candidate vaccines and how theyll work, she said.

The U.S. has contracts with three manufacturers for pandemic influenza vaccines: GlaxoSmithKline, CSL Seqirus and Sanofi. One of the vaccine candidates is from CSL Sequirus.

A spokesperson for CSL Seqirus said the company has no data available on vaccine effectiveness because the number of human cases of H5N1 is too low for studies.

However, a phase 2 study testing a vaccine that targets a virus closely related to H5N1 shows that it generates a promising immune response and should cross-react with the H5N1 viruses currently circulating in cattle in the U.S, the spokesperson said.

OConnell said the government has a number of potential adjuvants, substances added to vaccines to boost the immune response, that could be used if needed.

During the pandemic, the virus was typically severe in older adults and people with underlying health conditions. However, the 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus disproportionately affected young people. Its unclear how this strain of H5N1 would affect people because human infections are rare.

ODonnell said that given the amount of vaccine skepticism, as well as vaccine fatigue from the pandemic, the government would also likely need to begin a vaccine campaign to persuade people to get vaccinated.

Its very disheartening to see so much vaccine skepticism and vaccine fatigue, she said.

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Two possible bird flu vaccines could be available within weeks, if needed - AOL

(Precision Vaccinations News)

Vaccines have proven to be the primary means of reducing influenza infections over decades. Although many people think all flu shots are the same, there are significant differences between cellandegg-based vaccines, which provide different health benefits.

A real-world evidence study published on May 2, 2024, in Open Forum Infectious Diseases showed that a cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVc) was more effective at preventing test-confirmed cases of the flu than the egg-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVe) over three consecutive flu seasons in the United States (2017-2020).

These new findings show a higher relative effectiveness of QIVc over QIVe in the prevention of test-confirmed influenza, with estimated relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) of 14.8% for the 201718 season, 12.5% for 201819, and 10.0% for 201920.

"This study exemplifies the value of RWE in generating valuable insights into the effectiveness of influenza vaccines," saidAlicia N. Stein, Director, Real World Evidence, Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology, CSL Seqirus, in a press release.

Influenza vaccines produced using egg-based manufacturing can undergo adaptation within the manufacturing process, which may result in a mismatch between the flu strains covered in the vaccine and those identified by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Twice each year, the WHO selects flu stains for the next flu season's influenza vaccines.

"Cell-based technology allows us to provide an exact antigenic match to the WHO's identified strains, helping to improve vaccine effectiveness versus standard egg-based vaccines. These data build on the growing evidence of real-world data that shows the benefits of our cell-based influenza vaccine," addedGregg Sylvester, Chief Health Officer and Head of Medical Affairs at CSL Seqirus.

"At CSL Seqirus, we're continually pushing vaccine technology forward to improve effectiveness and help keep communities healthy."

The U.S. FDA'sVaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committeemeton March 5, 2024, and finalized quadrivalent and trivalent influenza vaccineoptions for2024-2025.

As ofMarch 6, 2024,CSL Seqirusreceived the FDA's approval to produceits trivalent influenza vaccines.

Various flu shots shouldbe available in U.S. pharmacies by August 2024.

As of April 6, 2024, an estimated 37million flu shotswere administered in retail pharmacies, andphysicians' medical offices administered about 25million doses.

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Cell-Based Flu Shot Effectiveness Surpass Egg-Produced Vaccines - Precision Vaccinations