Southern Hemisphere Flu Vaccine 2019 recommendation
Flu Vaccine Strains for 2019
Southern Hemisphere influenza season
On the 27th of September 2018, the WHO recommended the composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in Australia and the entire Southern Hemisphere 2019 flu vaccination season.
It is recommended (1) that Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccines (four strains) contain two the below strains. There are two changes from the 2018 influenza season:
- an A/Michigan/45/2015 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;
- an A/Switzerland/8060/2017 (H3N2)-like virus; (New strain)
- a B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus (B/Victoria/2/87 lineage); and (New strain)
- a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage).
For the 2019 flu vaccination season in Australia, the Australian Influenza Vaccine Committee (AIVC) will follow the WHO recommendation for all egg based Quadrivalent vaccines.
1. Australian Government, Dept Health and Ageing, Therapeutic Goods Administration. AIVC recommendations for the composition of influenza vaccine for Australia in 2019. Found at: http://www.tga.gov.au/aivc-recommendations-composition-influenza-vaccine-australia-2019
