Universal Flu Vaccine May Be 10 Years Away

Researchers in Chicago and Atlanta say they are less than a decade away from creating a one-time vaccine that will not only prevent all types of flu, but also stop deadly pandemic strains such as swine flu, bird flu, and Spanish flu, according to the Daily Mail. Oddly enough, research shows that people who caught swine flu appear to be immune to other strains of flu. Therefore, scientists took genetic material from patients with swine flu and used it to create flu-fighting antibodies, which they injected into healthy mice. The mice were protected when they were later injected with swine flu and other diseases. "The result is something like the Holy Grail for flu-vaccine research," said assistant professor of medicine Patrick Wilson.