Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Oxford University Tests Universal Flu Vaccine

Posted by Soulskill on from the one-size-fits-all dept.

dbune writes "A universal flu vaccine has been tested by scientists at Oxford University. '... the vaccine targets proteins inside the flu virus that are common across all strains, instead of those that sit on the virus's external coat, which are liable to mutate. If used widely a universal flu vaccine could prevent pandemics, such as the swine flu outbreaks of recent years, and end the need for a seasonal flu jab.'"

10 of 218 comments (clear)

  1. side effects include... by outsider007 · · Score: 4, Funny

    counting toothpicks and knowing when to double down.

    --
    If you mod me down the terrorists will have won
  2. Worldwide death toll by proxima · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The worldwide death toll from the flu and its complications is in the hundreds of thousands. This is potentially more than just preventing an occasional annoying illness. It's more on the order of preventing all fatalities from traffic accidents.

    --
    "The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent." --Carl Sagan
    1. Re:Worldwide death toll by izomiac · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually, when dealing with vaccines, quality of life is quantified and fairly objective. The term is "Quality-Adjusted Life Year. Life-years are measured, so a young child dying has more bearing than an elderly person, and the quality of each year is measured from zero (dead) to one (perfectly healthy). Technically, the range is a bit beyond that, as certain impairments are weighted as negative numbers, i.e. worse than death.

      Being subjective doesn't get you anywhere. If there are only enough healthcare dollars to save Frank xor Joe, then you need objective criteria for determining which you save. Frank doesn't get to die just because he isn't "enjoying life" enough. Discounting life based on perceived quality is exactly what we do. Take the terminal cancer patient for example. We could let them die in as little pain as possible when the usual treatment options fail, or we could perform CPR until every rib is broken and defibrillate until their chest is burnt leather, from the reasoning that, even in their pain-filled non-communicative state, we can't make judgments of their quality of life.

    2. Re:Worldwide death toll by Abstrackt · · Score: 5, Funny

      The people who die in car crashes probably have a better average quality of life and higher average remaining life expectancy than the typical person who dies of flu.

      No, I'm quite sure they're still both dead.

      --
      They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett
  3. Zombies by Goboxer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Isn't this how most modern zombie movies start?

  4. Of course there's one question by Petersko · · Score: 4, Funny

    Will one shot be sufficient to turn me completely autistic? Or do I need booster shots? I'd better consult the best source possible: Jenny McCarthy. I hear she's, like, awesome with autism.

  5. Re:Hmm.. by Damarkus13 · · Score: 5, Informative
    Way to cherry pick a quote. Here's the rest of it.

    "We did get an indication that the vaccine was protecting people, not only from the numbers of people who got flu but also from looking at their T-cells before we gave them flu. The people we vaccinated had T-cells that were more activated. The people we hadn't vaccinated had T-cells as well but they were in a resting state so they would probably have taken longer to do anything. The volunteers we vaccinated had T-cells that were activated, primed and ready to kill. There were more T-cells in people we vaccinated and they were more activated."

    This test appears to be about safety and confirming some sort of t-cell response, not effectiveness.

  6. Re:1 question by Brett+Buck · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The desperate hangers-on to the entirely discredited "vaccine" = "autism" theory recall another bizarre and desperate group I saw on a TV show the other day.

          They were having a panel of "crop circle experts" discuss all the mysterious alien influences and methodology underlying a nearby crop circle flap. After a few hours, some people stand up at the back, and state that *they* made the crop circles. They also showed a video-tape of themselves making the crop circles. The crop circle experts claimed - in all seriousness - that the aliens FAKED the tape, and then brainwashed the people into claiming they were responsible.

         

  7. "Insightful," my ass. by westlake · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We all know that the drug manufacturers wont produce this vaccine. Currently they have a constant revenue stream with a new vaccine needed seasonly. Greed is better than a cure. It's a false hope.

    Why does this nonsense always get a mod-up?

    Look around you.

    See anyone dying of Smallpox? Measles? Polio? Diphtheria? Tetanus? Has your daughter received the HPV - Cervical Cancer vaccine?

    There is big money to made in treating cancer.

    Why do you suppose that this vaccine wasn't suppressed?

    The answer is that the cure brings with it a new level of understanding. It exposes opportunites that had never before been seiously considered.

    When most men and women were in failing health along about age 45 or so, it didn't make much sense to put real money into studying arthritis, cancer, glaucoma, senile dementias, and so on.

  8. Re:Hmm.. by nospam007 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "The seasonal flu is not a danger in countries with basic hygiene and sufficient access to medical facilities."

    Since some years over 49000 people died of the flu in the US (_with_ umpteen millions vaccinated), does that mean it's not a country with basic hygiene and sufficient access to medical facilities?