Health and Me

Ishita Roy

WHO Includes All 3 Viral Strains For Fall Flu Shot

The World Health Organization (<span>WHO</span>) recommended that vaccine manufacturers must change the three strains included in the vaccines for the Northern Hemisphere's next influenza season. The WHO recommended that the vaccines for the next flu season must include the new variant of the influenza virus that increased last fall too late to be included in this winter's <span>flu shots</span>. 

As of now with the technology available, companies need at least six months time to prep for new flu shots in time for immunization campaigns beginning in the late summer or early fall. 

<h2>What Is The New Strain That WHO HAs Recommended To Be Included In Vaccine Shots?</h2>

Researchers first found out about the new variant in October after this season's <span>flu shot</span> was already out and distributed. This was the A (<span>H3N2</span>) subclade K. As per Danuta Skowronski MD, a flu researcher at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control in western Canada, this led to a mismatch in the vaccines that went into people's arms and the viruses circulating around them. 

While vaccines manufactured for the Southern Hemisphere were updated as compared to those distributed in the US last year, subclade K also appeared too recently. In the Southern Hemisphere, including Australia and South Africa, flu season runs from April to October. The highest number of cases and peak activity is seen between June and September. 

The A (H3N2) subclade K, also known as the "<span>super flu</span>" is the new version of H3N2, which has been circulated worldwide this year "acquired 7 new mutations over the summer," said Antonia Ho, a consultant in infectious disease at Scotland's University of Glasgow. As per her media statement, this "means the virus is quite different to the H3N2 strain included in this year's vaccine".

<h2>Does That Mean Earlier Flu Shots Were Useless?</h2>

Many scientists and public health experts were worried that the current flu shots in circulations used in Northern Hemisphere were useless against the subclade K. However, Skowronski says that the vaccine, in fact, worked better than imagined. 

Many other experts, William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in Nashville, Tennessee, as reported by NBC, said, “Decades of data show that even when the match isn’t perfect, the flu shot continues to prevent hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and helps keep people out of the cemetery."

In an interim report released earlier this month, researchers found that the latest flu vaccine sin Canada reduced the risk of illness caused by <span>influenza A</span> (H3N2) viruses and severe enough to require an outpatient medical visit by 40 per cent as compared with the risk faced by unvaccinated people. 

<h2>Strains Recommended For <span rel="noindex">Fall Flu Shots</span></h2>

The WHO recommended different strains on how the latest flu shots will be manufactured. For instance, some traditional vaccines are based on viruses grown in eggs, whereas new vaccines are made in cell cultures or use recombinant or nucleic acid based technology. 

<h3>The recommendation for egg-based vaccines are:</h3>

<ul><li>an A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;</li><li>an A/Darwin/1454/2025 (H3N2)-like virus; and </li><li>a B/Tokyo/EIS13-175/2025 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus. </li></ul>

<h3>The recommendation for cell culture-, recombinant protein- or nucleic acid-based vaccines are:</h3>

<ul><li>an A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus; </li><li>an A/Darwin/1415/2025 (H3N2)-like virus; and </li><li>a B/Pennsylvania/14/2025 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus.</li></ul>

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The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that vaccine manufacturers must change the three strains included in the vaccines for the Northern Hemisphere's next influenza season. The WHO recommended that the vaccines for the next flu season must include the new variant of the influenza virus that increased last fall too late to be included in this winter's flu shots. As of now with the technology available, companies need at least six months time to prep for new flu shots in time for immunization campaigns beginning in the late summer or early fall. What Is The New Strain That WHO HAs Recommended To Be Included In Vaccine Shots?Researchers first found out about the new variant in October after this season's flu shot was already out and distributed. This was the A (H3N2) subclade K. As per Danuta Skowronski MD, a flu researcher at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control in western Canada, this led to a mismatch in the vaccines that went into people's arms and the viruses circulating around them. While vaccines manufactured for the Southern Hemisphere were updated as compared to those distributed in the US last year, subclade K also appeared too recently. In the Southern Hemisphere, including Australia and South Africa, flu season runs from April to October. The highest number of cases and peak activity is seen between June and September. More About Subclade KThe A (H3N2) subclade K, also known as the "super flu" is the new version of H3N2, which has been circulated worldwide this year "acquired 7 new mutations over the summer," said Antonia Ho, a consultant in infectious disease at Scotland's University of Glasgow. As per her media statement, this "means the virus is quite different to the H3N2 strain included in this year's vaccine".Does That Mean Earlier Flu Shots Were Useless?Many scientists and public health experts were worried that the current flu shots in circulations used in Northern Hemisphere were useless against the subclade K. However, Skowronski says that the vaccine, in fact, worked better than imagined. Many other experts, William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in Nashville, Tennessee, as reported by NBC, said, “Decades of data show that even when the match isn’t perfect, the flu shot continues to prevent hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and helps keep people out of the cemetery."In an interim report released earlier this month, researchers found that the latest flu vaccine sin Canada reduced the risk of illness caused by influenza A (H3N2) viruses and severe enough to require an outpatient medical visit by 40 per cent as compared with the risk faced by unvaccinated people. Strains Recommended For Fall Flu ShotsThe WHO recommended different strains on how the latest flu shots will be manufactured. For instance, some traditional vaccines are based on viruses grown in eggs, whereas new vaccines are made in cell cultures or use recombinant or nucleic acid based technology. The recommendation for egg-based vaccines are:an A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;an A/Darwin/1454/2025 (H3N2)-like virus; and a B/Tokyo/EIS13-175/2025 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus. The recommendation for cell culture-, recombinant protein- or nucleic acid-based vaccines are:an A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus; an A/Darwin/1415/2025 (H3N2)-like virus; and a B/Pennsylvania/14/2025 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus.