title: [Influenza season 1998/99; composition of vaccine for 1999/2000].
abstract: The first indication of influenza activity in the Netherlands in the 1998/'99 season was the isolation of an influenza B virus in week 47 of 1998. In subsequent weeks influenza activity slowly increased, reaching a peak in week 6 of 1999. After a gradual decline for three weeks a second peak was reached in week 8 of 1999. The first wave of influenza activity was primarily caused by influenza B viruses, whereas during the second wave predominantly influenza A viruses of the A/H3N2 subtype were isolated. The antigenic properties of the influenza A viruses resembled those of the viruses isolated in the previous season and the vaccine strain A/Sydney/5/97. The influenza B viruses did not completely match with B/Harbin/7/94 which is most commonly used for vaccine production. The vaccine, however, did provide good protection against the epidemic strains of influenza. This season influenza A/H1N1 viruses did not play a significant part and only a small number of viruses of this subtype were isolated at the end of the season. For the influenza season 1999/2000 it is recommended by the World Health Organization that the vaccines contain the following (or similar) virus strains: A/Sydney/5/97 (H3N2), A/Beijing/262/95 (H1N1) and B/Beijing/184/93.
authors.affiliation: Nationaal Influenza Centrum van de Wereldgezondheidsorganisatie, Erasmus Universiteit, afd. Virologie, Rotterdam.
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Rimmelzwaan
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Bartelds
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Dorigo-Zetsma
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Fouchier
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Osterhaus
mesh_terms: D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology*; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D017778:Vaccines, Combined / Q000600:supply & distribution; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D017778:Vaccines, Combined