Influenza and the ‘Holy Grail’ vaccine

The influenza virus caused between 9–41 million illnesses and 12–52,000 deaths in the United States each year between 2010 and 2020. In a “bad” flu year, around 30,000 people die in the UK from flu and pneumonia. A 2018 study estimated that 30% of the burden of infectious disease in Europe is due to influenza. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 3–5 million severe flu cases and 290,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths occur worldwide each year. Those at high risk of flu complications are children younger than two years and adults aged 65 years and above, as well as pregnant women and people with certain chronic medical conditions. The best strategy for avoiding flu is to get a vaccine shot, with current vaccines offering protection against four strains of the virus: two type B and two type A strains. The WHO recommends vaccination as the main measure for preventing the disease...