(Image source from: Get flu for $3)

So much for science! Forget fighting flu, government scientists are now deliberately squirting live flu virus straight up noses of volunteers, with their consent and for a pricy fee, of course.

It may sound bizarre, but the rare type of research is being conducted to better flu vaccines. But wait, can't the scientists study the already flu-struck? Well no, because  that wouldn't let scientists measure how the immune system reacts through each step of infection, starting with that first exposure to the virus.

Scientists are still in the dark about how the body fends off influenza remains something of a mystery.

"Vaccines are working, but we could do better," said Dr. Matthew Memoli of the National Institutes of Health, who is leading the study that aims to infect up to 100 adults over the next year.

“It's not an experiment to be taken lightly. After all, the flu kills thousands of Americans a year. For safety, Memoli chose a dose that produces mild to moderate symptoms -- and accepts only volunteers who are healthy and no older than 50. And to avoid spreading the germs, participants must spend at least nine days quarantined inside a special isolation ward at the NIH hospital, their health closely monitored. They're not released until nasal tests prove they're no longer contagious,” writes ABC15.

The incentive: $3,000.
 
AW: Suchorita Choudhury