Next-generation flu vaccines could save millions of lives worldwide

Next-generation influenza vaccines, which aim to provide broader and longer-lasting protection than current seasonal vaccines, could significantly reduce the global burden of flu, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Seasonal influenza causes around a billion cases each year, with 3 to 5 million leading to severe illness and an estimated 290,000 to 650,000 deaths from respiratory complications.

Current vaccines help protect against influenza, but their effectiveness varies by season, vaccine type, and age group, and protection usually lasts for only one season. WHO recommends new flu vaccine strains twice a year to keep up with evolving viruses, yet most vaccines are used in higher-income countries.

WHO’s Full Value of Improved Influenza Vaccine Assessment (FVIVA) suggests that next-generation vaccines could prevent up to 18 billion cases of influenza and save 6.2 million lives globally between 2025 and 2050, particularly among older adults, young children, and pregnant women. Wider vaccine use could also reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, helping combat antimicrobial resistance. Next-generation vaccines could avert up to 1.3 billion daily doses of antibiotics in the same period.

WHO guidance encourages developing vaccines that provide broader and longer-lasting protection, better prevent severe disease, and can be locally produced in low- and middle-income countries. People can benefit from staying informed about vaccine updates, getting vaccinated annually, and supporting efforts to make influenza vaccines more widely available.

Source: World Health Organisation