Next-generation influenza vaccines that offer broader and longer-lasting protection than current seasonal jabs could significantly reduce illness and deaths worldwide, according to a new assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO’s Full Value of Improved Influenza Vaccines Assessment (FVIVA), published alongside an article in the journal Vaccine, evaluates the potential health, economic and policy impact of next-generation and universal influenza vaccines.
The report says such vaccines could play a pivotal role in strengthening seasonal influenza programmes and bolstering global pandemic preparedness.
Globally, influenza remains a major public health threat. WHO estimates that there are about one billion cases of seasonal influenza each year, with three to five million progressing to severe illness. Respiratory complications linked to influenza account for between 290,000 and 650,000 deaths annually.
In Zimbabwe, influenza is among the most commonly recorded diseases nationwide. As of November 2025, the country had reported 316,064 cases and seven deaths.
WHO notes that although existing seasonal vaccines reduce the burden of disease, their effectiveness varies by season, product and population group. Protection typically lasts for only one flu season.
Twice a year, WHO convenes experts from its Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System to recommend which virus strains should be included in upcoming seasonal vaccines. While 143 countries report having seasonal influenza vaccines available, most doses are administered in upper-middle- and high-income countries.
The FVIVA projects that if improved or universal influenza vaccines are introduced and widely used between 2025 and 2050, they could prevent up to 18 billion cases of influenza and avert as many as 6.2 million deaths globally. The benefits would be particularly significant for high-risk groups, including older adults, young children and pregnant women.
“This assessment makes clear the potential benefits that improved influenza vaccines could offer across different settings,” said Dr Philipp Lambach, WHO’s technical lead for the project. “It provides those working on future influenza vaccine investments, policy development and research priorities with a common evidence base to accelerate vaccine development.”
Beyond direct health gains, the study found that next-generation vaccines could remain cost-effective — or even cost-saving — in many countries.
Current influenza vaccination programmes are estimated to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use by 10 million doses annually. Expanded use of improved vaccines could avert up to 1.3 billion defined daily doses of antibiotics between 2025 and 2050, helping to curb antimicrobial resistance.
As of February 2026, 46 next-generation influenza vaccine candidates were in clinical development across a range of technology platforms, reflecting growing global momentum to improve protection against one of the world’s most persistent infectious diseases.