cheryl
Administrator
Staff member
How long do vaccines last? The surprising answers may help protect people longer - Science Mag
Like millions of people in the United States last year, Stanley Plotkin and his wife got vaccinated against influenza at the start of the Northern Hemisphere's flu season, in early October. Plotkin, a physician and emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania, knew well the value of the shot: He is one of the world's most renowned vaccinologists, having had a hand in several vaccines on the market, including the one for rubella. He's even the co-author of the standard medical textbook, Vaccines.
In January, just 3 months later, the couple got a second flu shot.
That was an unusual choice, one not recommended by the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which guides the country's vaccine usage. But a growing body of evidence that the protective immune responses triggered by flu vaccines wane in a matter of weeks persuaded Plotkin to return to the clinic. "The time and cost was trivial compared to the importance of influenza at my age," says Plotkin, 86. "With flu, we're not talking about getting a case of the sniffles."
Like millions of people in the United States last year, Stanley Plotkin and his wife got vaccinated against influenza at the start of the Northern Hemisphere's flu season, in early October. Plotkin, a physician and emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania, knew well the value of the shot: He is one of the world's most renowned vaccinologists, having had a hand in several vaccines on the market, including the one for rubella. He's even the co-author of the standard medical textbook, Vaccines.
In January, just 3 months later, the couple got a second flu shot.
That was an unusual choice, one not recommended by the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which guides the country's vaccine usage. But a growing body of evidence that the protective immune responses triggered by flu vaccines wane in a matter of weeks persuaded Plotkin to return to the clinic. "The time and cost was trivial compared to the importance of influenza at my age," says Plotkin, 86. "With flu, we're not talking about getting a case of the sniffles."