Recently, there was some concern that we may not have an updated flu vaccine for next season. Luckily, the FDA has announced the strains that will be included in the 25-26 flu vaccine.
Every year, we get new versions of the influenza (flu) vaccines. This is because influenza viruses can change very quickly from year to year, and the same version isn’t always circulating. The selection of strains included each year is an effort coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO). They make recommendations based on the following factors:
- What strains are currently circulating and how quickly they’re spreading
- How well previous flu vaccines match these circulating strains
- How well these new strains may help protect people from other related versions of the flu
The WHO committee meets twice a year – once to make recommendations for the Northern Hemisphere and once to make recommendations for the Southern Hemisphere.
In addition to the WHO recommendations, the FDA usually meets with a group of external expert advisors who are on the committee known as the Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC). These members discuss what strains should be included and whether they want to align with WHO recommendations or make a different decision due to USA-specific factors.
Unfortunately, this year, the VRBPAC meeting was canceled. This left many concerned that we may not have an updated flu vaccine. Thankfully, this does not appear to be the case. The FDA recently announced [archived link] that there will be an updated flu vaccine for the 2025-2026 season. This year the FDA made their decision based on meetings between experts from within the FDA, CDC, and Department of Defense. The recommendations the FDA made exactly match the ones issued by the WHO for the Northern Hemisphere. All of the recommendations are for trivalent vaccines. This means they will protect against three versions of the flu: two types of influenza A – H1N1 and H3N2, and a type of influenza B.
Overall, this is good news, and we should expect to see these vaccines available in the fall! We will update you more as needed.
Stay safe!
