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Sen. Markey Calls On Congress To Spend $1B For Universal Flu Vaccine

BOSTON (CBS) - The flu epidemic is hitting Massachusetts hard.

Thursday night, another patient died from influenza at Massachusetts General Hospital, the eleventh person to die in the past two months.

Hospital officials say their emergency room is packed with flu patients every day and at least 90 staff members of the hospital have been diagnosed.

Part of the reason for the epidemic is health experts say the current batch of flu vaccination is not as effective.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) visited the Boston hospital on Friday to call on Congress to invest $1 billion over five years for researchers to create a new universal flu vaccine.

Markey said he will introduce the Flu Vaccine Bill next week.

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