Influenza Virus Vaccine for the 2011-2012 Season Announced

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) met in Bethesda, Md., on Feb. 25, 2011, to select the influenza viruses for the composition of the influenza vaccine for the 2011-2012 U.S. influenza season. During this meeting, the advisory committee reviewed and evaluated the surveillance data related to epidemiology and antigenic characteristics of recent influenza isolates, serological responses to 2010-2011 vaccines, and the availability of candidate strains and reagents.

The committee recommended that vaccines to be used in the 2011-2012 influenza season in the U.S. contain the following:

- A/California/7/09 (H1N1)-like virus*

- A/Perth /16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus

- B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus

*A/California/7/09 (H1N1)-like virus is the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus

This years vaccine for the United States includes the same viruses that were used for the 2010-2011 influenza season and the influenza vaccine composition is identical to that recommended by the World Health Organization on Feb. 17, 2011, for the Northern Hemisphere's 2011-2012 influenza season.

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