With flu season now underway, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine are exploring vaccines for influenza infection, commonly known as the flu, more than ever before.
Medical Director of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital vaccine program Cornelia Dekker and her team of researchers are conducting three different flu vaccine trials this fall. These experiments are part of a five-year National Institutes of Health grant to gain a more thorough understanding of the common flu.
The first two trials will compare the reaction of young and elderly persons as well as identical and fraternal twins to the seasonal flu vaccine. Enrollment for the studies began this September after the licensed flu vaccine became available. Dekker is hoping to complete enrollment by Thanksgiving.
A third vaccine trial that will study influenza response in subjects with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and MELAS syndrome is also being conducted. Dekker’s team will compare the local and systemic reactions to the seasonal flu shot to assess vaccine safety. In addition, they hope to compare the metabolic responses in patients with the MELAS mutation to determine if their immune systems react differently than those of healthy controls.
“All of these studies will help us understand better how genetics, age and mitochondrial disease affect the immune response to flu vaccine,” Dekker wrote in an e-mail to The Daily. “It’s possible that we may identify factors that could help to diagnose influenza infection earlier and improve existing influenza vaccines.”
According to the Center for Disease Control, an estimated 25 to 50 million cases of influenza virus were reported last year in the United States alone. The flu, a contagious respiratory illness, can cause severe symptoms of fever, fatigue, muscle aches and coughing. The only way to prevent influenza virus is to get a flu vaccine every year. The flu shot is now recommended annually for everyone older than six months.
Study participants will be compensated for their visits in addition to receiving a free seasonal flu vaccine.
Dekker strongly encourages all who are eligible for her team’s studies to consider participating. This includes all identical and fraternal twins (ages 18 to 30), all non-twins (ages 18 to 30) who did not receive the H1N1 vaccine last year and carriers of the MELAS mutation (ages 13 to 60).
“Because there is such wide availability of flu vaccine this year, we’re in a race against time to identify our volunteers before they get immunized elsewhere,” Dekker said.
Even for those who do not qualify for studies at Stanford School of Medicine, JooHee Ahn ’11, a peer health educator for Stern Hall, recommends that all Stanford students get a flu shot this year.
“I know a lot of students are probably not bothering to go get their flu vaccines because they’re busy,” Ahn said. “It’s true! As Stanford students, we’re all busy with classes, homework and activities. But what people don’t realize is that in order for us to be time-efficient, the most important thing is our health.”
Vaden Health Center is offering flu shots this fall to the Stanford community. They are free for students and University employees, and $25 for all others. Students from the Stanford School of Medicine will be assisting in the administration of influenza vaccines, which will occur on select Wednesday evenings this October and November.
“Being sick is the most time-consuming thing at Stanford. You can’t study, you can’t be active, you can’t really do anything,” Ahn said. “Getting the flu vaccine is a great way to prevent this.”