WHO has published recommendations on the composition of influenza vaccines for the next season

The World Health Organization (WHO) published this Friday its recommendations on the composition of influenza vaccines for the 2024-2025 season in the northern hemisphere.

This was announced at a briefing after a four-day meeting on the composition of vaccines against the influenza virus. This meeting is held twice a year: once for the southern hemisphere and once for the northern hemisphere.

WHO will organize these consultations with an advisory group of experts assembled at WHO collaborating centers and WHO core regulatory laboratories to review influenza virus surveillance data generated by the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System.

The recommendations issued are used by national vaccine regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies to develop, manufacture and license influenza vaccines for the next season.

WHO says that in order for vaccines to be effective, the viruses contained in flu vaccines must be regularly updated due to the constantly changing nature of viruses, including those that circulate and infect people.

Specifically, WHO recommends that trivalent egg-based vaccines used in the 2022-2023 influenza season. in the northern hemisphere, contained a virus similar to A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1)pdm09; virus similar to A/Thailand/8/2022 (H3N2); and B/Austria/1359417/2021-like virus (B/Victoria lineage).

For their part, vaccines based on cell cultures or recombinants are recommended to include a virus similar to A/Wisconsin/67/2022 (H1N1)pdm09; virus similar to A/Massachusetts/18/2022 (H3N2); and B/Austria/1359417/2021-like virus (B/Victoria lineage).

Finally, quadrivalent vaccines based on oocytes or cell cultures or recombinants for use in the 2024-2025 northern hemisphere influenza season. WHO recommends including a virus similar to B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata lineage) as a component. Line B/Yamagata.