According to the Times of India, scientists in London have developed a new flu vaccination which they claim to be “universal”. The new vaccine, Flu-v, supposedly offers lifelong protection against any and all strains of influenza. Professor John Oxford, scientific director of Retroscreen Virology, said “A universal vaccine could…reduce the need for people to have vaccines each year against seasonal flu”.

The new vaccination is said to recognize a constantly recurring element within the many strains of the virus, and is intended to defend the immune system against that element.

Plans are being made to conduct a larger clinical trial, and hopefully have the vaccine available for the public in three to five years.

There’s been a ton of talk about H1N1 Influenza — known as “swine flu” — and the 109 cases reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But, name or no name, unless you keep kosher or are a vegetarian, pigs are still completely safe to eat, officials say.

“Many misconceptions relating to pigs have surfaced,” said Dennis Wolff, the Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture. “Pork products are safe to consume and living near or working on a hog farm is not a threat to human health.”

Here in Massachusetts, officials have released a fact sheet that says, among other things, that swine flu is nothing new. We’re just seeing an increased number of infections this year.

Your pork is still safe to eat. Don’t throw it away or boycott it.

Swine flu is like any other flu — stay home if you’re sick, wash your hands religiously, drink fluids, get rest, and see the doctor if you start developing symptoms.

But pork is still the other white meat.