In this article we read about how scientists are researching about the flu vaccine. They found that the universal vaccine could for the first time allow for a long term prevention of the flue by limiting the influenza virus' ability to mutate and grow. At many different labs these flu strains are being developed and tested in clinical trials. Scientists say that the flu vaccines are created each year by a prediction of what will dominate a particular flu season but does not take into consideration that the flu virus is evolving and so vaccines must be changed and added onto each year. The new flu vaccines being tested are made to target different viral components but are all made to slow viral transmission under different varieties. Researchers in 2006 explained how the cross-protective vaccines could combat those strains that cause flu epidemics. By doing this they ran their model and the researchers found that in both cases the vaccine reduced the severity of symptoms such as coughing and sneezing which primarily brought down the chances of the virus being transmitted.
This article effects everybody's life because the flu is a thing that has not been completely prevented. Even with the flu shot some people still get the flu. Of course the severity of it differs between people but either way it is dangerous and for scientists to finally being testing of new vaccines that could cure the flu for a long term period of time is simply amazing.
I thought that this article was very informative, it was very specific and presented several examples of the flu and its symptoms and what the scientists were trying to prevent. The article was very clear with the direction in which it was going and it presented very well what the present day flu vaccine prevents and what the new being tested vaccine could present. I thought it was very interesting and fun to read about.
Posted for R. Dubinski
Rebecca did a good job summarizing the article, “Universal Vaccines Could Finally Allow for Wide-Scale Flu Prevention”. Rebecca clearly stated what this new universal vaccine is trying to do, which was helpful. This vaccine is trying to limit the flu’s ability to spread and transform. She also explained the outcomes of an experiment done in order to test the universal vaccine. Rebecca explained that it lessened the severity of symptoms such as coughing and sneezing, which mostly brought down the risks of the influenza being passed on. Rebecca also connected this new vaccine to our world. This is always necessary to do when reading an article because it shows that the article is very informative, and it has a large importance. Rebecca connected this article by stating that the flu itself has never been prevented, and that even with the flu shot, people are still prone to getting the flu. Therefore, it is amazing to try to create a vaccine that is able to treat the flu over a long period of time.
ReplyDeleteThis review could be even better, if Rebecca quoted some scientists at Princeton University. For example, an important quote said by Arinaminpathy, a postdoctoral research associate in Princeton's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is, “Organization predicts will dominate a particular flu season. Inoculation typically focuses on protecting people who are vulnerable to the virus. However, this approach does not provide long-term or widespread immunity. The flu virus is always evolving, and so vaccines need to be updated each year.” This quote tells readers that since every flu season is different, due to the flu virus becoming stronger, it is necessary to update flu vaccines every year. Rebecca could have also explained the graph that was shown on the article as well.
I had no idea that a vaccine is trying to be created in order to reduce (and eventually end) the flu’s ability to spread and mutate. This article was very educational and interesting. It is important to learn about new vaccines that will be used in the future and their purposes because the future will soon become our reality.
I think my classmate, Rebecca, did a great job reviewing the article, “‘Universal’ Vaccines Could Finally Allow for Wide-Scale Flu Prevention.” Her overview of this article was not too long which made it more appealing, to me, to read. Rebecca also had a great choice of words, which made it easier to follow and understand her review. Also, I thought Rebecca made a good point that this article relates to everyone’s lives and it is interesting to think that people who get the flu shot may react differently to it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Rebecca’s review was very good, there were a few areas for improvement. First off, there were a few spelling and grammatical errors in her review. In addition, I felt as though she could have explained what some of the medical terms meant, such as “flu strains” and “cross-protective vaccines.”
One thing I learned from this article and review that I did not know before is that scientists are still coming up with more and different flu shots because of all the different types of influenza.
I think that Rebecca did a very good job summarizing this article. I got a good understanding of what it was all about. Rebecca also gave a good solid opinion on this article and where she stands. The article review flowed well and was easy to read and comprehend. Rebecca’s explanation of the review also gave me a better understanding of the topic.
ReplyDeleteRebecca could have gone into detail about the vaccine, how it was developed, and how it works on a small scale. Also, She could have extracted more information from the article to support her opinion on it.
I was very impressed with the scientist’s abilities to develop such a complex vaccine. I appreciate how so many scientist are striving to make scientific discoveries .
I thought that Rebecca did a good job of presenting a review of an article that is relevant to everyone. I thought that one thing that Rebecca did well was addressing the question of why the vaccine hadn’t been created up until now. One would expect that for something as simple as the flu, a cure would have been found out by now. Rebecca explains how the virus’ ability to mutate and adapt created problems for scientists seeking a vaccine. Rebecca does a good job explaining how the vaccine will prevent transmission of the virus. She explains that by reducing the severity of symptoms such as coughing and sneezing, the chances of the virus being transmitted are reduced. Rebecca also does a great job explaining the impact of this discovery, since a long term vaccine for the flu is an astounding achievement in medicine.
ReplyDeleteI thought that one thing Rebecca could improve on in her critique is to mention the source of the information in the review. She did not include the source, which was Princeton University. Providing this would increase the credibility of the article. Another thing Rebecca could have done was going into more depth with the research, especially how the virus affected a certain population.
This article was fascinating because of how we have accomplished many great feats with science but have failed to resolve such simple issues. We have succeeded in landing a man on the moon, but we have not discovered the cure to the common flu until now. However, I think this article provides positive support that we will be able to deal with our problems with science.