Preliminary enquiry out this month may provide you with a bite more incentive to get the flu vaccine . It found evidence that flu vaccination lead to a lower jeopardy of getting covid-19 among wellness care worker in the Netherlands . Though not classic , the survey is n’t the first to suggest that certain vaccines can provide minor , nonspecific protection against infective disease not targeted by the vaccinum , perchance include covid-19 .
The research newspaper wasreleasedon the preprint website medRxiv in mid - October by scientist from the Netherlands and Germany . In it , they detail two separate investigations of the theory that the flu vaccine used in the Netherlands last winter — an inactivated vaccine meant to protect against the four main strains of the flu virus in circulation — could lour the risk of exposure of covid-19 . In many countries , admit the U.S. , this is the primary type of flu vaccine used annually .
https://gizmodo.com/scientists-want-to-test-existing-polio-vaccine-against-1843994812
A box of influenza vaccines, about to be used during a free vaccination event in Los Angeles, California held 12 February 2025.Photo: Damian Dovarganes (AP)
The basic idea is that some vaccines can not only trail the parts of the immune system meant to pick out a specific microbe ‚ known as the adaptive resistant organization , but also temporarily boost the effectiveness of our innate resistant system . The unlearned resistant organization apply a wide regalia of weapons to snub all variety of invading germs , making it one of the dead body ’s first lines of defense against unfamiliar microbic threats . A vaccinum , it ’s thought , can briefly keep the innate resistant organisation more alert and ready to stop the next germ that crosses its way . Scientists call this theoretical boost “ train immunity . ”
In the lab , the researcher found that human resistant prison cell first disclose to the flu vaccine seemed to form a trained immune reply to the coronavirus behind covid-19 , compared to a control chemical group of cells . In Dutch infirmary , they regain that hospital worker who were vaccinated with last wintertime ’s flu vaccine had a lower hazard of being diagnosed with covid-19 than workers who did n’t get inoculate .
“ In determination , a quadrivalent inactivate influenza vaccinum can induce train immunity responses against SARS - CoV-2 , which may lead in relative shelter against covid-19 , ” they wrote .
The results have yet to go through the peer revaluation unconscious process , mean they should be viewed with some extra caution . And though this report ’s authors do provide two lines of grounds for their conclusions , neither is clear proof that a flu vaccinum will protect you from covid-19 . There are other potential account for why Dutch infirmary worker who admit a grippe slam may have been less probable to get covid-19 , for instance . It could be that these worker are extra cautious about catching any contractable illness — a personality trait that would both nudge them to get inoculate for the flu and to deflect situations where covid-19 is likelier to circularize .
This is n’t thefirst studyto find oneself evidence that existing vaccines can meaningfully protect people from covid-19 . But not all of the data has been encouraging , and some experts remainskepticalof the theory . A discipline published in JAMA this May , for example , foundno evidence that the great unwashed in Israel who took a BCG vaccine , used to prevent tuberculosis , in childhood were less probable to contract covid-19 as adults in their 30s and forty . It ’s possible a train immunity effect created by the BCG vaccinum could still exist , just not for that long , but those findings should be a reminder that this theory is not a sure thing . If even trained immunity is the literal lot , it almost certainly wo n’t provide unadulterated security from the pandemic .
https://gizmodo.com/hell-yes-its-time-to-get-your-flu-shot-1845142691
There areongoing clinical trialstesting out whether the BCG vaccinum and others can provide some short - full term protection from covid-19 — trial that will hopefully give us a clear response one agency or the other . In the lag , though , getting immunize against the flu is already one of themost helpful thingsyou can do for yourself and your community this winter . If it turn out that it lowers the risk of exposure of covid-19 too , so much the better .
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