In the May 2009 Journal of Biology, Nobel laureate Peter C. Doherty and Stephen J. Turner published Q&A: What Do We Know about Influenza and What Can We Do about it? This article covers the molecular basics behind an influenza pandemic and the basic approach behind developing an influenza vaccine. Doherty and Turner also indicate some of the concern over any influenza pandemic when they write:
As it is, the world has, with a current population of about 6.8 billion, never made more than about 400 million doses of trivalent influenza vaccine. For this reason, a great deal of current research is focused on identifying improved adjuvants – substances that increase the strength of the immune response, so that the vaccine is more effective and smaller amounts of viral protein are required.
To keep track of the current influenza virus, visit the World Health Organization’s Cumulative Number of Laboratory-Confirmed Cases of Influenza A (H1N1).
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