Recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2019-2020 northern hemisphere influenza season

It is recommended that egg based quadrivalent vaccines for use in the 2019-2020 northern hemisphere influenza season contain the following: an A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus; an A(H3N2) virus to be announced on 21 March 2019*; a B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus (B/Victoria/2/87 lineage); and a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage). It is recommended that the influenza B virus component of trivalent vaccines for use in the 2019-2020 northern hemisphere influenza season be a B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus of the B/Victoria/2/87-lineage. * In light of recent changes in the proportions of genetically and antigenically diverse A(H3N2) viruses, the recommendation for the A(H3N2) component has been postponed.