World Health Organization - The composition of influenza vaccines for the Northern hemisphere 2004-2005 Winter season has been determined as follows:

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

• an A/Fjian/411/2002(H3N2)-like virus. (The currently used vaccine virus is A/Wyoming/3/ 2003 A/Kumamoto/102/2002 is also available.)

• a B/Shanghai/361/2002-like virus. (Candidate vaccine viruses include B/Shanghai/361/2002 and B/Jilin/20/2003.)

The national control authorities should approve the specific vaccine viruses used in each country. National public health authorities are responsible for recommendations regarding use of the vaccine. Updated epidemiological information is available on WHO’s website at http://who.int/ influenza.

Reference: Weekly Epidemiological Record, 79: 91 (2004)