David Putnam, Ph.D.

If you hate getting a flu shot every year, there may be some good news on the horizon.

Scientists at Cornell University are undertaking research into a single dose, long-lasting influenza vaccine.

Although it’s a long way off for use in humans, if successful the vaccine could mean only needing to be vaccinated against influenza every 5 to 10 years.

“Our goal was to make a single-dose vaccine that would protect against multiple strains of influenza. Some people like to call it a ‘universal vaccine,’ but that is too optimistic. ‘Broadly protective’ is a more reasonable and obtainable goal,” David Putnam, PhD, associate professor in the Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University, told Healthline.

“It would help greatly if the vaccine lasted for a significant period of time and not require a booster dose every year,” he said. “It will be more economically viable if the vaccine lasted 5 to 10 years… Continue reading.