Via ABC News :
" Immunologists have made a discovery that will help in the development of flu vaccines that could be effective for many years longer than current ones.
Dr Nicole La Gruta, of the University of Melbourne, and colleagues, report their findings in the current issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
If new flu vaccines were developed from the discovery they would probably only need to be given every 5 to 10 years, instead of every year, says La Gruta.
Current flu vaccines are based on triggering antibodies that will recognise proteins (antigens) that appear on the surface of the virus.
But, says La Gruta, these surface proteins are the most changeable part of a virus, which is why vaccines lose their effectiveness as the virus mutates. As a result new vaccines have to be given each year."
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