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Influenza A viruses are also particularly adept at evading our immune system they have a high rate of genetic mutation, resulting in a process known as antigenic variation. All of the major influenza pandemics of the last century have been caused by influenza A viruses, the most notable being the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 which led to the death of roughly 50 million people, one-tenth of the entire global population at the time. On the whole, influenza A viruses are considered the biggest threat. Influenza D mainly infects cattle with no recorded human infections to date. Influenza C infections in humans are rare and are thought to cause relatively mild disease. Influenza A and B are the most common, driving yearly seasonal flu epidemics. There are seven types of influenza, four of which can infect mammals: A, B, C, and D. The breakthrough may also provide a blueprint for developing a COVID-19 vaccine that retains its efficacy in the face of new variants. If successful, it may act as a precursor to a truly universal flu vaccine, one that protects against all types and subtypes of the virus. Recently there has been some success on the road to developing a much sought-after broadly neutralizing vaccine against all influenza A viruses. Source: FLUNET (global influenza surveillance and response system (GISRS). Number of specimens positive for influenza by subtype globally, from August 2012 to August 2022.

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Although lockdowns and social distancing efforts aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 also helped put a dent in seasonal influenza epidemics, the flu is now returning with full force (Figure 1).

Influenza is one such virus, causing an estimated 1 billion cases globally every year-of these, upwards of 500,000 end up being fatal. But this doesn’t change the fact that they are as present as ever, lurking in the background. With COVID-19 on the scene, talk of other respiratory viruses has taken a backseat.