THE TIMES: Daily pills could help to reduce infections in over‑65s by a third

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Daniel Davis, professor of immunology at the University of Manchester, discussed the effects of old age on the body’s defences in his book The Beautiful Cure: Harnessing Your Body’s Natural Defences. He said that the study was very interesting.

“We don’t understand what happens to the immune system as we age,” he added. “It is certainly well established that something changes in our ability to fight infections, and around 80 to 90 per cent of those who die from the flu virus are aged 65 and over. This new study shows that a combination of drugs can help boost the effectiveness of a flu vaccine in the elderly.

“However, it is hard to infer whether or not the increased level of antibody titre [the measurement of how much antibody an organism has produced] achieved with vaccination in combination with these drugs would translate to better recovery from an actual flu infection.”