It may take 7 years to develop, but here’s why a universal flu shot is important

[Healthline, October 07, 2019] The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has announced it’s giving a coalition of 15 universities and research organizations up to $130 million over 7 years to develop a universal flu inoculation.

The hope is the longer the research goes, the longer the initial vaccines would last.

“I’ve been at this for a while, and it’s quite frustrating to me,” Dr. Frank Rhame, an infectious disease specialist with Allina Health in Minneapolis, told Healthline. “It’s been obvious for years that the current application is not optimal. But they’re putting a lot of money into places that are good at this. I don’t doubt that we’ll get there. But it takes time,” he said.