FDA advisors voted 9-0 to approve Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine (mFlusiva), showing 27% greater efficacy than standard shots. The vaccine, developed on the same platform as COVID-19 vaccines, faced initial resistance from a Trump appointee but ultimately gained unanimous support.
Over 150 recruits at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have fallen ill with influenza, weeks after the defense secretary ended mandatory flu vaccinations for the military. Air Force officials have now ordered vaccinations for recruits as a containment measure.
US health advisers are reviewing Moderna's new mRNA flu vaccine, mFlusiva, for individuals 50 and older. The vaccine, similar to those used for COVID-19, showed a 27% reduction in flu cases in a study. The FDA is assessing its safety and efficacy, with a decision expected before the winter flu season.
A US study found that flu vaccination in children aged 2-5 reduced flu cases by 9-14 per 100 children. This suggests the vaccine could prevent hundreds of thousands to a million flu cases annually in the US, countering recent debates about pediatric vaccine policies.
Queensland's free nasal spray flu vaccine program is now available for children aged 6-17. The expansion follows a 30% increase in uptake for younger children, with health officials urging vaccinations before flu numbers rise.
The UK has begun trialling an mRNA vaccine against the H5N1 bird flu strain, with the first volunteers immunised at a clinic in Southampton. The 4,000-person trial targets poultry workers and over-65s, the highest at-risk groups. While human-to-human transmission is not yet occurring, the UK Health Protection Agency says the strain is evolving across animal species and must be treated as a real pandemic possibility. There have been 116 confirmed human cases globally since 2024, with nearly half of all 1,000 cases since 2003 proving fatal.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the U.S. military will no longer require all troops to receive the flu vaccine, citing medical autonomy and religious freedom. The directive allows military services 15 days to request keeping the requirement. The policy change follows controversy over COVID-19 vaccine mandates that forced over 8,400 troops out of the military, with 153 subsequently reinstated.
