The flu virus can change from year to year, and the protection you get from a flu vaccine declines over time. That's why you need a flu vaccination once a year, every year. The best time to get vaccinated is in October or November, at the start of the flu season. However, since flu season often does not peak until December or later, you can still benefit from getting the flu vaccine after November.

There is no vaccine for humans against avian flu. The vaccine against human influenza virus does not protect against avian flu.

Vaccines against the H5N1 avian flu currently occurring in SE Asia are under development. These are not the same as a pandemic vaccine ? if a pandemic were to emerge from this virus the virus may have changed to such an extent that this vaccine may not be appropriate.

There is not a flu vaccine (also know as a flu shot) against the current avian flu (H5N1) commercially available at this time. However, vaccines are produced each year for seasonal flu ("the flu") that may prevent the flu or lessen symptoms. University Health Services (UHS) schedules "flu shot clinics" during the fall. For more information please see, Flu Shot Update.

Influenza vaccine cannot prevent avian influenza as the vaccine was meant for human influenza. However, the vaccine can help reduce the chance of complications and hospitalization from human influenza; hence it is recommended for the elderly and patients with chronic illnesses. Influenza vaccine can also reduce the chance of genetic re-assortment and subsequent emergence of influenza strain with pandemic potential.

Currently available flu vaccines only protect against the currently circulating ordinary flu. The virus causing a pandemic will be so different from the strains in the vaccine that they are very unlikely to provide any significant immunity in a pandemic situation. New vaccine must be developed to match the new pandemic strain. Can any vaccine left from previous years be used? No. It will only provide protection against old strains of influenza virus, not against a new strain.

Your doctor might recommend an antibiotic for bacterial infections caused by the flu, but antibiotics won't kill the flu itself - because flu is caused by a virus. Some anti-viral drugs can reduce the length of time you have the flu, but they don't cure it. A few of these drugs have been approved for preventing the flu, but the flu vaccine is usually the best choice. While it is FDA-approved, Tamiflu, an oral anti-viral drug is not approved for use in children under age 18.

Influenza vaccines are designed to protect against a specific virus, so a pandemic vaccine cannot be produced until a new pandemic influenza virus emerges and is identified. Even after a pandemic influenza virus has been identified, it could take at least 6 months to develop, test and produce vaccine.

Vaccines against the H5N1 avian virus currently occurring in SE Asia are under development. These are not the same asa pandemic vaccine - if a pandemic were to emerge from this virus the virus mayhave changed to such an extent that this vaccine may not be appropriate.

No. The seasonal flu vaccine provides no protection against H5N1. But health officials recommend getting it, not the least because regular influenza kills up to 500,000 people a year globally in a “normal” year.

present there is no vaccine for bird flu. It will take about 4 months to produce a vaccine that can be available in the market. Influenza vaccine is available but it will not protect against the bird flu. This vaccine is different from year to year. The change becomes necessary since influenza viruses tend to undergo frequent and permanent changes.

There currently is no commercially available vaccine to protect humans against the H5N1 virus that is being seen in Asia and Europe. However, vaccine development efforts are taking place. Research studies to test a vaccine to protect humans against H5N1 virus began in April 2005, and a series of clinical trials is underway. For more information about the H5N1 vaccine development process, visit the National Institutes of Health Web site.

Flu vaccinations are 70-80% effective, provided that there is a good match between the strains used to make the vaccine, and the strains of flu that are going around. There are very sophisticated systems in place for monitoring strains of flu around the world, so it is increasingly possible to predict which strains are most likely to cause trouble.

No. The annual flu vaccine only works against seasonal flu strains. Although a vaccine against the H5N1 virus is under development in several countries, any mutant flu virus could cause a pandemic. The vaccine needs to closely match the pandemic virus in order to work, so large-scale commercial production will not start until the new virus has emerged and a pandemic has been declared.

There is no specific vaccine to prevent bird flu although influenza vaccine for the country where you live in is available. Influenza vaccine is recommended for people at risk. This will help in prevention of reassortment and mixing up of the genetic material between influenza (flu) viruses and reduce the risk of human to human transmission. It is also likely to prevent the occurrence of severe forms of the disease.