WHO Issues 2018-2019 Flu Vaccine Recommendations

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued recommendations for the composition of influenza virus vaccines for the 2018-2019 influenza season in the northern hemisphere.

For the 2018-2019 quadrivalent vaccines, WHO recommends the following components:

• 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)
• a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage)

WHO also recommends the inclusion of a B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus of the B/Victoria/2/87-lineage in the 2018-2019 influenza B virus component of trivalent vaccines.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2018-2019 northern hemisphere influenza season [press release]. World Health Organization. February 22, 2018. http://www.who.int/influenza/vaccines/virus/recommendations/2018_19_north/en/. Accessed on February 23, 2018.