• Question: How do scientist know how to make a flu vaccine if viruses can be different every year?

    Asked by Miss Science to Deborah, Euan, Maheen, Rob, Stu on 12 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Rob Stanley

      Rob Stanley answered on 12 Jun 2016:

      There are people whose job it is to investigate what flu viruses are around before the main flu season. But they always have to make a prediction (an educated guess using data) about which viruses will spread that year, as it will take a few months to make enough of the required vaccine. Unfortunately, they sometimes do make the wrong prediction.

    • Photo: Deborah Prunty

      Deborah Prunty answered on 12 Jun 2016:

      What Rob said! People study the flu, what strains are most common, which are most dangerous, which have the potential to spread fastest and further… Based on this they decide which ones they are going to focus on. They will then focus on those specific ones.

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