Description of the situation
06 January 1999
Disease Outbreak Reported
China. According to analysis performed at the China National Influenza Centre, Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, the strain currently circulating in the country is similar to the influenza A(H3N2) Sydney strain which was circulating at the end of the season in 1998, and which is covered in the current recommended vaccine. Further characterization of the isolates will be carried out at the WHO collaborating laboratory at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (United States). Detailed analysis of the viruses is expected to be completed within 2-3 weeks.