Scientists 5 years away from developing universal flu vaccine?

Scientists are moving closer to developing a new universal flu vaccine, and may possibly have it ready in as little as five years. Researchers from the Imperial College London say they made a significant leap forward in developing a vaccine capable of protecting against every new strain of the seasonal flu. “New strains of flu are continuously emerging, some of which are deadly, and so the Holy Grail is to create a universal vaccine that would be effective against all strains of flu,” said lead investigator Ajit Lalvani, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial, in a press release. Lalvani and his colleagues made the discovery after collecting blood from more than 340 volunteers during the 2009 H1N1, or “swine” flu pandemic that killed at least 18,500 people around the globe, reports CBS News. For two years, blood donors were asked to mail in a nasal swab to a lab if they...