WHO assessment reveals improved influenza vaccines could prevent up to 18 billion cases and save 6.2 million lives between 2025 and 2050
February 2026- Next-generation influenza vaccines that provide broader and longer-lasting protection than existing seasonal vaccines could play a vital role in reducing the global burden of influenza, according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) assessment.
The new WHO Full Value of Improved Influenza Vaccine Assessment (FVIVA) and Vaccine journal article evaluate the health, economic, and policy impacts of next-generation influenza vaccines and identify future barriers to their uptake globally, providing a basis to guide investment, policy decisions, and introduction strategies.
Each year, there are around a billion cases of seasonal influenza globally, with 3 to 5 million cases leading to severe illness and an estimated 290,000 to 650,000 deaths from respiratory complications. While current influenza vaccines help reduce the burden of disease, their effectiveness can vary by season, product, and population group, with protection limited to one season.
The FVIVA estimates that if improved, next-generation, or universal influenza vaccines are available and widely used between 2025 and 2050, they could prevent up to 18 billion cases of influenza and save up to 6.2 million lives globally, particularly among people at higher risk of severe disease, such as older adults, young children and pregnant women.
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“This assessment makes clear the potential benefits that improved influenza vaccines could offer across different settings.It provides all those working on future influenza vaccine investments, policy development and research priorities a common set of evidence to catalyze vaccine development” said Dr Philipp Lambach, WHO technical lead of the project
The study also shows that these vaccines could be cost-effective or even cost-saving in many countries, while contributing to reduced antimicrobial use. Next-generation influenza vaccines could avert up to 1.3 billion defined daily doses of antibiotics between 2025 and 2050, significantly combating growing antimicrobial resistance globally.
In December 2025, WHO released updated Preferred Product Characteristics to guide the development of safer, more effective influenza vaccines that provide broader and longer-lasting protection, offer better coverage against severe disease, and are suitable for use in low- and middle-income countries.
