What method is typically used to create a flu vaccine?

The creation of a flu vaccine commonly involves the method of inactivated or live attenuated virus production. This approach utilizes either a virus that has been killed (inactivated) or a weakened form (live attenuated) of the influenza virus. When the inactivated virus is used, it cannot cause illness but can stimulate an immune response, allowing the body to recognize and fight off the actual virus if exposed in the future. The live attenuated vaccine, on the other hand, uses a virus that is still alive but modified so that it cannot cause disease in healthy individuals. Both methods are effective at generating an immune response, thus providing immunity against influenza.

Other methods, such as recombinant DNA technology, protein subunit technology, and virus-like particle formation, are all utilized in the development of vaccines for various diseases but are not the standard approach for the flu vaccine. Each of these methods can produce different types of vaccines, but for influenza, the traditional techniques involving inactivated or live attenuated viruses remain the most prevalent and well established in practice.