How do scientists know how to make a flu vaccine if viruses can be different every year?

Question: How do scientists know how to make a flu vaccine if viruses can be different every year?
- Keywords:
  flu,
  vaccine,
  virus,
  year
Asked by 101owen101 to Samantha, Sam on 6 Jul 2012.
- Samantha Weaver answered on 6 Jul 2012:
  
  I know someone at work who’s job this is! Scientists don’t know everything (believe it or not!) so they make flu vaccines based on the most common types of flu strains that were around the previous year, and what was infecting people in Australia during their winter (our summer). The hope is that this will protect people against the majority of flu viruses, but won’t be able to make people completely immune unfortunately. This is why the flu vaccine is given to people every year.

Samantha commented on 6 Jul 2012:

This site might interest you – it is how my friend knows if vaccines are working! Every week a report is produced monitoring how many people have been to the doctor with flu and compared to previous weeks and years: http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/page.cfm?orgid=457&pid=34338

Log in to Reply

Question: How do scientists know how to make a flu vaccine if viruses can be different every year?