---
title: "One and Done: Why You’ll Never Have to Get Another Flu Vaccine"
description: "With the creation of a “cross-protecting” vaccine, annual flu shots are a thing of the past."
date: "2015-07-21"
modified: "2015-08-13"
authors:
  - name: "Andrew Tieu"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/andrew_tieu.md"
url: "https://futurism.com/one-and-done-why-youll-never-have-to-get-another-flu-vaccine"
categories:
  - "Health & Medicine"
  - "Medical"
tags:
  - "medical"
---

# One and Done: Why You’ll Never Have to Get Another Flu Vaccine

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/flu-vaccine-660x433.jpg>)

- Scientists create different vaccines every year because viruses are constantly evolving. Each year, they predict which viruses will be prominent and create vaccines to combat those specific viruses. If the vaccine and the virus have even minimal differences, the vaccine will not offer much protection.
- In a new study, scientists are taking an approach that disregards the process of matching a vaccine with a virus altogether. Instead, they create a vaccine “cocktail” that consists of different subtypes of a key protein from the influenza virus, hypothesizing that this would stimulate the development of immunity against other subtypes.
- Of sixteen possible protein subtypes, test mice were vaccinated against four of them and then exposed to eight different influenza strains, many of which they were not directly protected against. However, 95% of the mice were protected against the viruses, compared to only 5% for a group of mice with a mock vaccination. The new vaccine, which remains effective for at least six months, has enormous potential to offer broad and effective protection.

## More

- [Universal Vaccines Are the Future of Medicine](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/universal-vaccines-are-future-medicine.md>)
- [MIT Scientists Making Key Progress on Universal Flu Vaccine](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/mit-scientists-universal-flu-vaccine.md>)
- [Stanford’s New “Universal Vaccine Formula” Nasal Spray Protects Mice Against Stunning Range of Diseases](<https://futurism.com/health-medicine/stanford-universal-vaccine-mice.md>)
- [Having the Flu Increases Your Chance of Having a Heart Attack](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/having-flu-increases-chance-having-heart-attack.md>)
- [CRISPR Could Make You Immune to the Flu](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/crispr-immune-flu-vaccine-antibodies.md>)
- [This Frog Oozes Mucus That Causes Flu Virus Particles to Explode](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/this-frog-oozes-mucus-that-causes-flu-virus-particles-to-explode.md>)
- [Researchers Announce Promising Coronavirus Vaccine Candidate](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/researchers-promising-coronavirus-vaccine-candidate.md>)
- [New Pill Kills the Flu Virus in 24 Hours](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/new-pill-kills-flu-virus.md>)