Making Universal Influenza Vaccines: Lessons From the 1918 Pandemic

The year 2018 marked the 100th anniversary of the deadliest event in human history. In 1918-1919, pandemic influenza spread globally and caused an estimated 50-100 million deaths associated with unexpected clinical and epidemiological features. The descendants of the 1918 virus continue to circulate as annual epidemic viruses causing significant mortality each year. The 1918 influenza pandemic serves as a benchmark for the development of universal influenza vaccines. Challenges to producing a truly universal influenza vaccine include eliciting broad protection against antigenically different influenza viruses that can prevent or significantly downregulate viral replication and reduce morbidity by preventing development of viral and secondary bacterial pneumonia. Perhaps the most important goal of such vaccines is not to prevent influenza, but to prevent influenza deaths.