The outbreak of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic made all of us privy to the development of vaccines.
In actual fact, by now all of us are pretty familiar with companies like Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna – these are the big pharma companies that were at the forefront of getting us immune to the virus.
Now that the pandemic is in the past (thank God!), pharmaceutical companies are using some of the knowledge acquired and applying it to flu vaccines.
Here’s what we know so far.
How flu vaccines currently work
According to Pfizer, creating the flu vaccine every winter season is quite extensive.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has 144 national influenza centres around the world. In South Africa, they work with the South African Regional Global Disease Detection Centre (SARGDDC).
Every year, the WHO makes their recommendation on the composition of the flu vaccine for the upcoming flu season. This recommendation is largely based on how sick flu viruses are making people and how quickly the flu is spreading, as well as other factors.
“Every year the influenza virus ‘mutates’, or changes, therefore you will need a new vaccine every year to remain protected,” says Dr Cathelijn Zeijlemaker, a family physician and director of Netcare’s Primary Care division.
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It usually takes at least six months to develop and manufacture flu vaccines that are to be distributed to the masses.
This is because the most common vaccine is dependent on cell growth. The vaccine is created by injecting the virus into eggs, where it will be replicated. This makes your body familiar with the virus, making your immune system strong and causing symptoms of infection to be less severe.
There are two additional types of flu vaccines: cell-based vaccines that make use of cultured mammalian cells instead of eggs and the recombinant flu vaccine, which makes use of synthetic versions of the virus. They are produced in insect cells.
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What is an mRNA flu vaccine?
mRNA stands for Messenger Ribonucleic acid. Ribonucleic acid is a polymeric molecule essential in different biological roles such as coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes.
The main difference between the flu vaccines we currently know and the mRNA is that instead of using the virus itself, mRNA vaccines uses the genetic code of the virus.
This genetic code tells the body to create proteins, also known as antibodies.
These antibodies protect people from getting sick or experiencing severe or even fatal illness, in some cases.
What Does mRNA Mean for the Flu Vaccine?
This means that mRNA vaccines can be made faster and in larger batches in labs.
“If we use mRNA technology, then we may be able to develop the vaccine closer to flu season,” says Verna Welch, Senior Director of. Pfizer, mRNA Pipeline (Non-COVID) Medical and Scientific Affairs Lead. “And therefore, we’re able to better match it with the circulating viruses avoiding vaccine mismatch.”
According to the World Health Organization’s Global Influenza Programme, in 2021/2022 South Africa experienced its worst flu outbreak since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Perhaps it’s time for another shot?
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Feature image: Pexels
