people require hospitalization for influenza each year, with as many as 50,000 individuals succumbing to the worst of its symptoms.The first vaccine against influenza was developed in the early 1940s andthe general public in 1945. Just two years later, researchers realized something was amiss – the virus's chemical identity had shifted, rendering the existing vaccine less effective and forcing them back to the drawing board.
Like many vaccines, the preventative treatment relies on providing the body with forewarning of what prominent markers on the outside of the virus particle looks like, allowing the immune system to get a head start on manufacturingThere are multiple subtypes of each genera of influenza virus, and the genes that allow them to latch to other cells mutate easily, making new generations of the virus unrecognizable to our immune systems.
Influenza A, subtype H1N1 - named after its distinct H-type and N-type surface markers. Also known as swine flu. Influenza A doesn't just infect humans, either – it can find a home inside a wide variety of mammals and birds as well. As it moves through a wild population of animals or livestock, it can build up sufficient mutations until it spreads easily through humans.are currently working on ways to make flu vaccines last longer by targeting more stable regions on the virus. While it might not see an end to influenza, having a vaccine that works across many strains would go far in saving lives.
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