Some people may already have a tiny bit of protection against H5N1 bird flu.
Several recent studies have found that those who caught seasonal flus or received flu vaccinations have low levels of antibodies against H5N1 avian influenza as well. The work may prompt changes to existing flu vaccines, potentially making them more effective against bird flu.
Health care workers and others who recently caught seasonal flu had antibodies that could glom onto H5N1 bird flu viruses taken from dairy cattle, researchers reported July 16 at bioRxiv.org. Some of those antibodies may block bird flu from infecting cells. Two strains of flu each account for roughly half of seasonal