Short Wave

How a single flu shot could protect you for decades

Mittwoch, 10. Juni 2026 · 11 min

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Every year, tens of millions of people in the U.S. get the flu vaccine. That’s because the virus changes year-to-year and protection only lasts around six months. Adolfo Garcia-Sastre (profiles.icahn.mssm.edu/adolfo-garcia-sastre) wants to change that. He’s one scientist working on a universal flu vaccine that could provide decades of protection against all flu illnesses – but only if his team can find the resources that disappeared when U.S. funding dipped.

If you liked this episode, listen to our episode on a vaccine trial that could end HIV (lnk.to/BcnTUp).

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