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WHO Picks 2018-2019 Flu Vax Strains (WHO)

— Different influenza A(H3N2) and B/Victoria strains vs this season

Ƶ MedicalToday

Influenza strains selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) for inclusion in the 2018-2019 Northern Hemisphere flu vaccines will differ from those included in the current season's products.

In on its site, the WHO recommended that next year's quadrivalent vaccines contain:

  • A/Michigan (H1N1) pdm09-like virus
  • A/Singapore H3N2-like virus
  • B/Colorado-like virus (of the B/Victoria lineage)
  • B/Phuket-like virus (of the B/Yamagata lineage)

This is a change in H3N2 from this year's A/Hong Kong, as WHO researchers noted the A/Singapore seemed to perform better than other egg-cultured H3N2 viruses. B/Colorado is another change from last year's B/Brisbane.

The FDA will make its for influenza strains for the U.S. flu vaccine on March 1.