Next Seasonal Flu Vaccine Recommended
Next Seasonal Flu Vaccine Recommended
In mid February the World Health Organization (WHO) made its
recommendation regarding the seasonal influenza vaccine (fall and
winter, 2010-11) for North American and the countries in the northern
hemisphere. They indicated that this year’s seasonal vaccine should
contain the pandemic H1N1 strain (the so-called Swine Flu strain).
Shortly after the announcement, public health officials in the United
States accepted the WHO recommendation. This decision essentially
eliminates the need in the United States for two different flu vaccines
starting this fall.
The WHO recommendation involves dropping the non-pandemic
H1N1 strain that was in the vaccine this past flu season and replacing it
with a pandemic H1N1 viral strain. The recommendation by WHO was
based on the fact that the overwhelming number of viruses isolated
around the world in the past year was of the pandemic variety. Viruses
recommended for the 2010-2011 flu vaccine includes an A strain (A/
California/7/2009 – H1N1 like virus), an A strain called A/Perth/16/2009
(H3N2) and a B strain called B/Brisbane/60/2009l-like virus.