AN ADVISORY committee of the Food and Drug Administration has taken the first steps toward selecting the strains of virus to be included in next year's influenza vaccine.
After considering data on disease surveillance, antigenic composition of the influenza-virus strains in circulation, and the efficacy of the current vaccine, the group held off making a final decision on the 2 A-type viruses. However, panel members agreed unanimously to leave unchanged for next year the B constituent of the vaccine, known as B/Harbin/07/94.
They also agreed that data are insufficient to enable them to decide which type of A-H1N1 virus to include, and deferred a final decision in the expectation that more definitive data on the epidemiology of the 2 major strains of H1N1 in circulation would become available within 4 to 6 weeks.
The group made a tentative recommendation that next year's vaccine should include an antigen similar . . . [Full Text of this Article]
