Subnavigation

• Influenza
• Surveillance and monitoring
  • Updates
  • FluID
• GISRS and laboratory
  • FluNet
  • National Influenza Centres
  • WHO Collaborating Centres for influenza and Essential Regulatory Laboratories
  • WHO H5 Reference Laboratories
  • Antiviral susceptibility surveillance
  • WHO External Quality Assessment Project
  • Shipping and logistic activities
• PIP Framework
  • Advisory Group
  • Virus Sharing
  • Benefit Sharing
• Vaccines
  • Vaccine viruses
  • Vaccine use
• Patient care
  • Clinical management
  • Antivirals
• Human animal interface
  • Avian influenza in humans
  • Swine influenza in humans
• Public health preparedness
• Information resources
  • Research
  • Training
  • Publications

WHO Consultation on the Composition of Influenza Vaccines for the Northern Hemisphere 2011-2012 (Consultation by invitation only)

WHO Consultation on the Composition of Influenza Vaccines for the Northern Hemisphere 2011-2012 (Consultation by invitation only)

14-16 February 2011

Geneva, Switzerland

Background

An annual adjustment of the vaccine content is necessary to match the vaccine with the ever changing antigenic and genetic characteristics of circulating influenza viruses.

Twice annually, the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network (GISN) analyses the global data on circulating influenza viruses and recommends on the composition of the influenza vaccine for the following influenza season. These recommendations are used by the national drug licensing agencies and the pharmaceutical companies to update the content of the influenza vaccines they produce.

Objectives

• Analyse the antigenic and genetic characteristics of influenza viruses circulating and infecting humans globally, taking into consideration of available epidemiological and clinical information from individual countries and regions;
• Make recommendations on the composition of the influenza vaccines for use in the northern hemisphere 2011-2012;
• Review the antigenic and genetic characteristics of recent A(H5N1) viruses WHO Collaborating Centres on influenza received and the need to develop new A(H5N1) candidate vaccine viruses;
• Review the antigenic and genetic characteristics of other subtype influenza viruses, if any, infecting humans recently, and the need to develop new candidate vaccine viruses.

Participants (Advisers and Observers)

• Directors from six WHO Collaborating Centres for Reference and Research on Influenza in Atlanta (United States of America), Beijing (China), London (United Kingdom), Melbourne (Australia), Memphis (United States of America), and Tokyo (Japan);
• Representatives from Essential Regulatory Laboratories (ERLs) of GISN;
• Representatives from National Influenza Centres and the WHO H5 Reference Laboratories of GISN;
• Representatives from an antigenic cartography group in the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom;
• Representatives from OFFLU.

Agenda

• Review of antigenic and genetic characterization data of seasonal, A(H5N1) and other subtypes of influenza viruses investigated in the WHO Collaborating Centres and other reference laboratories;
• Review of the global influenza activity;
• Analysis of results of vaccine serological studies;
• Recommendations for influenza vaccine composition for the northern hemisphere 2011-2012;
• Review the need and subsequent selection of A(H5N1) viruses for the development of new vaccine viruses
• Review the need and subsequent selection of new A(H5N1) and other subtype viruses for the development of new candidate vaccine viruses;
• Discussion of other relevant topics.