This year’s flu season is set to be as deadly as the 2009 pandemic that killed thousands of people in the U.S.
Researchers say influenza is becoming more complicated to treat because of growing resistance to vaccines. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is cosponsoring legislation that would attempt to fund development of a universal flu vaccine.
Dr. Paul Auwaerter, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, praises the bill as an investment towards new miracle drugs, saying, “A coordinated and comprehensive approach for influenza research will strengthen our public health infrastructure and substantially lead to a more ready and healthier workforce.”
Auwaerter says the goal is to develop a flu vaccine that need only be administered once in a lifetime and would inoculate against all strains of the flu.
The bill proposes spending $1 billion over five years.
