The flu shot finally gets an upgrade
This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. The Food and Drug Administration approved Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine this week — a major public health breakthrough for an administration that’s been troublingly down on vaccines. The flu is a gigantic and costly […]
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine, marking a significant public health achievement. Unlike the conventional flu vaccine, which hasn't changed much in the past 80 years, this new vaccine has the potential to outperform its predecessor. The traditional vaccine's effectiveness is often compromised by the flu virus's rapid mutation, while the mRNA vaccine addresses this issue by training the immune system to fight influenza without using a weakened or dead virus.
In clinical trials, those who received Moderna's mRNA vaccine were 27 percent less likely to contract the flu compared to those who received the standard vaccine. Public health experts are optimistic about this new development, and researchers are already working on a "universal flu vaccine" that could provide long-lasting protection against the most dangerous type of flu virus.
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