29/04/2026
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- heart protection effects another reason to get your flu immunisation
Your immune system might be doing something unexpected after a flu shot not just fighting viruses, but quietly protecting your heart.
For years, scientists believed the influenza vaccine mainly worked by preventing infection. But a new study from the Statens Serum Institut suggests something deeper: even when people still catch the flu, vaccination may cut their risk of heart attack and stroke in half.
Researchers found that in the first week after infection, the risk of a myocardial infarction jumped 5 times and stroke risk tripled likely driven by inflammation and clotting. Yet vaccinated individuals were significantly protected against these dangerous events.
A separate meta-analysis of 1.1 million patients added another layer: flu vaccination was linked to a 28% lower risk of death in people with heart disease. If confirmed, this reframes the flu shot not just as infection prevention, but as a form of cardiovascular protection, especially for those most vulnerable. And researchers say this may only be scratching the surface of how immune responses shape heart health.
If a simple yearly vaccine could reduce your risk of a heart attack even when you still get sick, would you see it differently?
Source: Croci, R., Young, J. J., Emborg, H.-D., Valentiner-Branth, P., Ethelberg, S., & Hansen, C. H. (2025). Influenza vaccination attenuates acute myocardial infarction and stroke risk following influenza infection: A register-based, self-controlled case series study, Denmark, 2014–2025. Eurosurveillance.
