Scott Hensley joins the TWiVites to review the current influenza season and presence of the virus in exhaled breath of symptomatic cases.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler
Guest: Scott Hensley
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Links for this episode
- Weekly influenza surveillance (CDC)
- Influenza vaccination status (CDC)
- H3N2 glycosylation site and eggs (PNAS)
- Influenza virus in exhaled breath (PNAS)
- Geometric Defects and Icosahedral Viruses (Viruses)
- Image credit
- Letters read on TWiV 480
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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.
Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv
Hello TWIV team,
thank you for the interesting episode about flu vaccine. I have two questions regarding this topic:
1. Is there a cumulative effect of flu vaccine protection? Is a person who get the flu vaccine every year better protected than someone who got the vaccine for the first time? I would guess that there should be some epitopes that remain similar at least for some time and therefore the antibodies from one year may help during next years as well.
2. You mentioned that big pharmaceutic companies do not make any money from flu vaccination. What does it mean? I guess they cannot do it for nothing. If I say it to someone who is against vaccination it does not sound very reliable. Is it possible to find how much money these pharma make from vaccines in contrast with other medicines?
I am sorry for my English, hope it is possible to understand my questions.
Thanks