Influenza (flu) remains a serious yet largely preventable public health threat. Despite strong evidence of vaccine effectiveness,1-4 a web of factors—including social determinants of health, widespread mis- and disinformation, access barriers, misperception of flu severity, perception that vaccines aren’t very effective and a resulting lack of urgency toward flu protection—continue to leave millions unprotected each year in the United States.5-11
A personal experience with flu12
For Jessica Richman, co-secretary of Families Fighting Flu, the flu isn’t just a seasonal threat, it’s personal. In 2014, her 3-year-old daughter Cayden passed away from influenza only 48 hours after her first symptoms, despite multiple visits to the doctor.12
“People can be so busy, and you’ll plan to get your flu vaccine, but distractions come up and you’ll keep pushing it off. It is so important to raise awareness about the severity of the flu and make the flu vaccine more convenient and accessible,” Richman said.
Years later, Jessica’s younger daughter Layla developed flu symptoms—at the same age Cayden had been. But this time, Layla had been vaccinated. Remembering the danger of the flu, Jessica sought swift medical attention for Layla, and within 24 hours, she made a full recovery. Jessica knows the flu vaccine played a critical role in Layla’s recovery.
Today, Jessica and her family get vaccinated every single year. They even wear pink, Cayden’s favorite color, to honor her. She shares their story to spread awareness about flu protection and address misperceptions that the flu isn’t dangerous, encouraging families to “focus on the positive—getting vaccinated and staying well.”
From left to right: Cayden; Jessica, Layla & their family.
The increasing burden of influenza and public health imperative
Flu is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can be serious even for healthy individuals and can result in hospitalizations and death.6,13,14 Symptoms may include fever, cough, sore throat, chills, body aches and fatigue.15 Each year, millions are affected by flu, which can result in severe and life-threatening complications, especially for people with chronic conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, heart disease or diabetes.14,16,17
The 2024-2025 flu season was the most severe since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, and the first to be classified as “high severity” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since 2018.6,18-20 The season saw between 47-82 million flu cases and a rise in medical visits, hospitalizations and deaths compared to previous seasons.18-20 Overall hospitalization rates were more than 1.5x higher during the 2024/25 compared to the previous season.21-23 Pediatric hospitalizations surged, and not only among children with underlying conditions.24 Nearly half of hospitalized children had no underlying medical conditions and were otherwise healthy before contracting the flu.24-25
Furthermore, there were more pediatric deaths reported in the 2024-2025 flu season than any non-pandemic flu season since 2004, and more infant deaths than in any flu season over the past decade.14,26 Of the 260 flu-related pediatric deaths, 89% of those who were eligible for vaccination were not fully vaccinated, compared to 82% the previous season.26-27 Notably, nearly 42% of these deaths occurred in children with no known high risk underlying medical conditions, and nearly 40% involved a bacterial co-infection of a sterile site of the body.14 Most fatalities occurred in children ages 5-17 years, a cohort eligible for annual flu vaccination, but who may remain unvaccinated.26,28
Flu critically impacts the US health care system each year by disrupting public health systems, overwhelming outpatient services, straining hospitals and driving significant economic consequences.18,29 An estimated $11.2 billion is lost annually due to influenza, which includes an estimated $8.0 billion in indirect costs associated with 20.1 million days of lost productivity.29
Flu vaccines today: multiple options to reach diverse needs
Vaccination is the most effective methods of defense against flu and serious flu-related complications. While no vaccine guarantees full immunity, flu vaccines can significantly reduce symptom severity, hospitalization risk and intensive care unit (ICU) admission.13,30-32 According to CDC estimates, flu vaccination during the 2023-2024 season helped prevent 9.8 million flu-related illnesses, 4.8 million medical visits, 120,000 hospitalizations and 7,900 deaths related to influenza.4
Despite its well-documented benefits, flu vaccination rates continue to be low. As of April 26, 2025, only 49.2% of children and 46.7% of adults in the US had received the flu vaccine during the 2024-2025 season—particularly during a time when respiratory illnesses continue to place pressure on public health.33 Today, there are more options than ever to make flu vaccination accessible to people of all ages, health conditions and personal preference:
- Live-attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIV) use a weakened version of the virus to induce an immune response that closely resembles natural immunity to influenza. LAIV is a nasal spray vaccine, making it a needle-free option34
- Inactivated influenza vaccines (IIVs) are administered as an injection and are either made with killed virus particles or subunits of the virus that stimulate the immune response to produce antibodies against influenza. Some of the IIVs are enhanced flu vaccines which improve the immune response in older and immunocompromised adults by using either an increased amount of antigen or an adjuvant (immune stimulant) to drive a stronger immune response35,36
A critical disconnect: recommended options, insufficient uptake
The 2024-2025 flu season revealed a troubling pattern: mis- and disinformation, access barriers and growing vaccine fatigue continue to undermine protection efforts.6 Myths about flu severity, vaccine effectiveness and side effects continue to erode public confidence in vaccination despite clear scientific evidence. 5,6,37 Additionally, social determinants of health, including lack of transportation, health literacy, insurance gaps and community mistrust in vaccines make vaccination inaccessible for many.5-8,15 Closing the vaccination gap demands urgent coordinated action from key stakeholders to deliver targeted education, expand access and engage people with tailored messaging through various channels.6
Michele Slafkosky, Executive Director of Families Fighting Flu, emphasized the need for coordinated, strategic education around flu protection. She suggests strategies to improve vaccination such as: delivering science-backed, tailored messages through trusted sources and community voices to help patients take informed steps to protect their health.
Working together to improve vaccine education and access
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) serves as a leading example of how partnerships drive prevention of infectious diseases through vaccination.6 Each year, NFID leads a national respiratory awareness campaign, working with more than 300 organizations to create resources that help raise awareness about the burden of flu and address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation as well as common questions or concerns about vaccination.6
As Dr Robert H. Hopkins Jr., MD, NFID Medical Director, emphasized during a recent NFID webinar, “We need to work closely together to provide consistent and science-based messages to our colleagues and the public as we plan for future seasons.”6 By bringing together healthcare professionals, public health leaders and advocacy groups, the NFID campaign and other similar initiatives demonstrate the power of united action in advancing vaccine education, improving uptake and empowering individuals and communities to make informed vaccination decisions.
Advancing innovation to expand access and impact
As the infectious disease landscape continues to evolve, vaccine innovation can strengthen immunization efforts. Today, flu vaccines are offered at a range of flexible locations—pop-up clinics, doctor’s offices, retail pharmacies and at home via self- or caregiver administration—but increasing location convenience alone will not solve the broader challenge of helping more individuals understand how serious influenza can be.
AstraZeneca is committed to driving innovation that helps alleviate these deeper barriers, including transportation challenges and time constraints. These issues demand a coordinated, systemic response that acknowledges the social determinants of health that impact vaccine access and uptake. That’s why AstraZeneca partners with stakeholders across public and private sectors, including FFF and NFID, to drive equitable solutions, strengthen public health infrastructure and advocate for necessary funding and government support to sustain and advance flu awareness and protection.
Everyone deserves access to effective influenza protection. Addressing unmet patient need requires collaboration from all stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem, from researchers to clinicians and public health officials to policymakers. Together we can cultivate a system that is more responsive, more resilient, more inclusive and more accessible.
Learn how AstraZeneca is driving flu vaccine innovation to meet today’s challenges.
References:
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