Clinical trial will pay you $3,000 to be infected with flu virus

If you’re willing to be deliberately infected with the flu virus, you could earn $3,310.

St. Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development is conducting an influenza study to better understand what happens when a person if infected with the flu and how the body controls the infection.

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Researchers are looking for 80 healthy participants 18-49 years old. Each person will receive a nasal spray containing a strain of seasonal influenza. The strain, InfluenzaA/Bethesda/MM2/H1N1, was developed by scientists with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and reliably produces mild to moderate influenza disease in most recipients.

Pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers are not allowed to participate. Habitual smokers of any kind are also excluded. Participants are not allowed to use drugs or alcohol during the trial.

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Volunteers will need to remain at least seven days in one of the four clinics participating in the trial, then be monitored for about three months after leaving the clinic.

The lead Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit is the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore. The other VTEUs conducting the trial are:  Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; and Saint Louis University Center for Vaccine Development.

Participants will be paid $75 for each required clinic visit (four), $300 for each inpatient visit (10) and $10 for each phone call (one). Total is $3,310 for completing all planned study visits.

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To discuss participating, you can contact a nurse at:

Refer to study IRB # 30552