WHO Strain Recommendations for 2018-2019 Flu Vaccine
WHO Strain Recommendations for 2018-2019 Flu Vaccine
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that quadrivalent vaccines for use in the 2018-2019 northern hemisphere influenza season contain the following:
- an A/Michigan/45/2015 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;
- an A/Singapore/INFIMH-16-0019/2016 (H3N2)-like virus;
- a B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus (B/Victoria/2/87 lineage); and
- a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage).
WHO also recommends that the influenza B virus component of trivalent vaccines for use in the 2018-2019 northern hemisphere influenza season be a B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus of the B/Victoria/2/87-lineage.
For more information, visit:
- WHO Recommendations for 2018-19 Northern Hemisphere Influenza Season
- Recommended Composition of Influenza Vaccines
This recommendation by WHO was reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) and approval was given to adopt these recommendations for the 2018-2019 influenza vaccine strains.
The final VRBPAC decision allows vaccine manufacturers to start formulating the upcoming seasonal flu vaccine, a process that takes about 6 months.
