The CDC last week published the Influenza Activity Report detailing the 2014-15 influenza season and the composition of the 2015-16 influenza vaccine. Some highlights from the report are as follows:
2014-2015 influenza season
- During 2014-15 influenza activity increased through late November and December with 2014–15 influenza season being moderately severe overall and especially severe in adults aged ≥65 years.
- Influenza A (H3N2) viruses was the main virus but the prevalence of influenza B viruses increased later in the season.
- The report also highlighted antiviral resistance and mentioned that of the 4,192 influenza virus specimens that have been tested, all 896 influenza B viruses and 3,232 influenza A (H3N2) viruses were sensitive to oseltamivir and zanamivir. All 896 influenza B viruses and 1,723 influenza A (H3N2) viruses tested were sensitive to peramivir. Also, there is high resistance to amantadine and rimantidine by the influenza A virus and these two drugs are not effective against the influenza B virus.
2015-2016 influenza season
- The 2015–16 recommendations for the influenza trivalent vaccines in the US should contain the following:
- A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus
- A/Switzerland/9715293/2013 (H3N2)-like virus
- B/Phuket/3073/2013-like (B/Yamagata lineage) virus
- It is also recommended that the quadrivalent vaccines containing two influenza B viruses contain the trivalent vaccine viruses as well as the:
- B/Brisbane/60/2008-like (B/Victoria lineage) virus
- This is a change in the influenza A (H3) and influenza B (Yamagata lineage) components compared to the 2014–15 influenza vaccine season.
Source: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6421a5.htm?s_cid=mm6421a5_w
