BLUF

This year for the first time, Australians will have access to a new cell-based influenza vaccine that is more effective than the traditional egg-based flu vaccine.

Summary

Thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the much-publicised development of vaccines, we could almost be excused for forgetting about the potentially dangerous influenza viruses we risk contracting each year. Since the 1930s, Australians have had access to a chicken-egg-based vaccine to protect against some of the more dangerous seasonal flu strains: see, How Influenza (Flu) Vaccines Are Made. This year, for the first time, Australians will have access to a new cell-based flu vaccine. The new, optional vaccine is claimed to be up to 10 per cent more effective than egg-based flu vaccine and doesn't require a few million eggs to aid with its manufacture. Instead, the new technology uses cells from a dog's kidney. It is worth noting the following from the article reference the use of cells from a dog: 

'It's what they call an eternal cell line—it keeps dividing, and so we're not sacrificing dogs, Professor Booy explained'.

Learn more about Australia’s development of flu vaccines

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