CDC awards Pitt team $5.5 million to continue flu-vaccine work
A Pittsburgh research team that helps shape the annual flu vaccines has landed a $5.5 million federal grant to continue the work, at least for five more years.
The award renewal from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stems from the “high productivity” of the Vaccination Research Group at the University of Pittsburgh, or PittVax, the school announced Tuesday. PittVax also will use the money to evaluate a planned vaccine for the respiratory syncytial virus, a widespread bug that can spark symptoms similar to the common cold.
“It’s a chance for epidemiology and what causes flu in our area to be known nationally, to be accounted for,” said Richard Zimmerman, who co-directs PittVax with fellow professor Tricia Nowalk.
The CDC supports five centers that make up the U.S. Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network, which monitors the effectiveness of flu shots each year. Their data help public health authorities evaluate vaccination and treatment recommendations, develop new ones and determine which flu strains should go into annual vaccine formulas.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2016/08/10/CDC-awards-Pitt-team-5-5-million-to-continue-flu-vaccine-work/stories/201608100088
