Flu outbreak spurs vaccine R&D effort

Drugs companies are developing a new vaccine to combat the various flu strains that have swept China this winter, a respiratory expert told Guangzhou Daily on Wednesday.

"The most dominant strain this flu season has been B/Yamagata, which the current seasonal vaccine does not cover," said Zhong Nanshan in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Zhong is also an academic with the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

"There's also been a slight mutation to the virus," he added.