The potential impairment of HLA-A*68:01-restricted CD8+ T cells to mount robust immune responses was recently investigated, demonstrating the immunodominance potential of influenza-specific CD8+ T cells presented by a risk HLA-A*68:01 molecule, and advocates for priming CD8+ T cell compartments in HLA-A*68:01-expressing individuals for establishment of pre-existing protective memory T cell pools. This evidence concerns the gene HLA-A and influenza.