Why do you need to get a flu shot every year? - Melvin Sanicas

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/teded View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-you-need-to-get-a-flu-shot-every-year-melvin-sanicas All year long, researchers...

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All year long, researchers at hundreds of hospitals around the worldcollect samples from flu patientsand send them to top virology experts with one goal:to design the vaccine for the next flu season.But why do we need a new one every year?Vaccines for diseases like mumps and rubella offer a lifetime of protectionwith two shots early in life.What's so special about the flu?Two factors make the flu a tough target.First, there are more than 100 subtypes of the influenza virus,and the ones in circulation change from season to season.And second, the flu's genetic code allows it to mutate more quicklythan many other viruses.The flu spreads by turning a host's own cells into viral production factories.When the virus is engulfed by a host cell, it exp...