Vaccination for Influenza — Any Alternatives?

Inactivated influenza vaccine is the most widely used vaccine in the United States, with annual sales of approximately 15 to 20 million doses. It is also one of the least satisfactory immunizing agents, with only 60 to 70 per cent effectiveness when optimally constituted. The vaccine needs frequent updating to keep up with changes in the virus, and with major antigenic shifts it has usually not been possible to make sufficient vaccine in time. The vaccine causes a substantial number of local and systemic reactions, which tend to be even more frequent in children. Judging from experience with the National . . .