"Disease" in the News

With a new influenza pandemic on the rise, scientists are reevaluating their approach on flu vaccinations to avoid another outbreak as catastrophic as the Spanish Flu of 1918. The flu pandemic of 1918 had killed approximately fifty million people around the world, and as of now, the annual vaccinations are usually only up to sixty percent effective due to the rapid mutation and evolution of the virus. Researchers are now on the hunt for a “super-shot” that will hopefully protect against all or most of the strains, and that will potentially be given either as a childhood immunization or just be administered less frequently than yearly. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who leads a team of more than 150 scientists for the NIH to develop this vaccine, the public should see this super-shot within “‘Years, not decades.’”

The Associated Press. “Scientists Seek Super-Shot for Flu 100 Years after Pandemic.” NYTimes.com, New York Times Company, 18 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/01/18/health/ap-us-med-1918-legacy-better-flu-shots.html. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018.