DPH Announces Start of Flu Season

DOVER, DE (Sept. 29, 2022) – October 2 marks the official start of the 2022-2023 influenza (flu) season. The flu vaccine plays a pivotal role in helping to avoid significant flu-related illnesses, including hospitalization and death. The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) believes it is vital for Delawareans to protect themselves and their loved ones by getting the flu vaccine as soon as possible, particularly given the ongoing battle against COVID-19 and a potentially active flu season ahead. The U.S. often looks to the experience of Australia and New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere during their flu season in the summer as a possible Read More …

Vaccines a Poor Match for 2021-2022 Flu Season

Preliminary CDC estimates released yesterday show flu vaccines were not a good match for the most common strain circulating through the current 2021-2022 flu season, which peaked in December. Shots did not reduce the risk of mild or moderate flu caused by the H3N2 virus, the analysis concludes. Read more

2022-2023 Flu Vaccine Composition

February 25, 2022.  The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced the recommendations for the viral composition of influenza vaccines for the 2022-2023 influenza season in the northern hemisphere. The announcement was made at an information session at the end of a 4-day Information Meeting on the Composition of Influenza Virus Vaccines, a meeting that is held twice annually. The WHO recommends that quadrivalent vaccines for use in the 2022-2023 influenza season in the northern hemisphere contain the following:   Egg-based vaccines an A/Victoria/2570/2019 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus; an A/Darwin/9/2021 (H3N2)-like virus; a B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus; and a B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata lineage)-like virus. Cell Read More …