A single jab that could give lifelong protection against all types of flu has produced promising results in human trials.
The vaccine, made by Acambis, should protect against all strains of influenza A - the cause of pandemics.
Currently, winter flu jabs have to be regularly redesigned because the flu virus keeps changing.
The new vaccine would overcome this and could be stockpiled in advance of a bird flu outbreak, say experts.
Promising results
Each year winter flu kills around 4,000 people in the UK.
Globally, between 500,000 and one million people die each year from influenza.
But a pandemic of the human form of bird flu, which experts believe is inevitable, could kill as many as 50m people worldwide.
The US trials show that the jab is safe and it works fast to make the body immune against flu. |
