World Health Organization - National Authorities are responsible for recommendations regarding the use of influenza vaccine and should approve the specific vaccine viruses used in each country.

It is recommended that influenza virus vaccines to be used in the 2004 season (Southern hemisphere winter) contain the following:

• an A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1)-like virus;

• an A/Fujian/411/2002 (H3N2)-like virus {A/Kumamoto/102/2002 and A/Wyoming/3/2003 an egg-grown A/Fujian/411/2002 (H3N2)-like virus}

• a B/Hong Kong/330/2001-like virus {Currently used vaccine viruses include B/Shandong/7/97, B/Hong Kong/330/200, B/Hong Kong/1434/2002. B/Brisbane/32/2002 is also available as a vaccine virus.}

Information concerning reagents for use in laboratory standardization of inactivated vaccine and reference strains for antigenic analysis is available on http://www.who.int/influenza.

Reference: Weekly Epidemiological Record, No. 43. 24 October 2003.