4 ms·
I am not an expert but I notice that we seem to manage variability with Influenza by creating a new vaccine every year.
by lebuffon 7y ago
I am not an expert but I notice that we seem to manage variability with Influenza by creating a new vaccine every year.
- markus92 7y agoThere efficacy is debated though. Every other year you hear that the vaccine is not for the right strain of it.
- InitialLastName 7y agoThe difference, as I (also not an expert) understand it is that HIV is unique in that it's so variable that the host never develops immunity to the disease. In most viruses, the immune system eventually develops an immunity and eliminates the disease. Influenza is an example of this; your immune system learns to fight off the strain that you get. The new vaccine every year is for the new strains. The HIV vaccine mutates quickly enough that the host never develops immunity themselves, which makes triggering immunity with a vaccine very difficult.