A new study by researchers at Oxford University, UK, has suggested that adding a new component to vaccines for influenza might provide better protection against a broad range of avian and seasonal influenza A viruses.
Current vaccines for influenza provide protection against specific seasonal influenza A strains and their close relatives, but not against more distant seasonal influenza A viruses and new avian influenza A viruses, such as H5N1, which still poses a real global health concern.
Bird Flu
Bird flu (avian influenza/avian flu) is a disease caused by an influenza virus (H5N1) that primarily affects birds but can infect humans also.
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Now, a team of researchers, led by Tao Dong and Andrew McMichael, has generated data that may help in providing broad protection against the virus.
In the study, subsets of immune cells known as memory CD4+ and memory CD8+ T cells from individuals from the UK and Viet Nam were found to respond to fragments of proteins from both a seasonal influenza A strain and a strain of H5N1.
![Egyptian Woman Dies of Bird Flu]( "Egyptian Woman Dies of Bird Flu")
A young Egyptian woman has died of bird flu, becoming the 20th victim of the deadly virus in Egypt over the past two years, the health ministry announced on Tuesday.
Nearly all people tested had cells that cross-reacted between the seasonal influenza A strain and H5N1.
The researchers therefore suggest that adding fragments of influenza proteins to current vaccines for influenza might boost memory CD4+ and memory CD8+ T cell responses towards both seasonal and avian influenza viruses, providing broad protection.
Source: ANI
SPH
Egyptian Woman Dies of Bird Flu
A young Egyptian woman has died of bird flu, becoming the 20th victim of the deadly virus in Egypt over the past two years, the health ministry announced on Tuesday.
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Nearly all people tested had cells that cross-reacted between the seasonal influenza A strain and H5N1.
The researchers therefore suggest that adding fragments of influenza proteins to current vaccines for influenza might boost memory CD4+ and memory CD8+ T cell responses towards both seasonal and avian influenza viruses, providing broad protection.
Source: ANI
SPH
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