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In order to select virus strains for the manufacture of the influenza vaccine for the 2003 season, a meeting of the Australian Influenza Vaccine Committee on Influenza Vaccines was convened on 10 October 2002.

Having considered information on international surveillance by the World Health Organization (WHO), and up-to-date epidemiology and strain characterisation presented at the meeting, the Committee considered that the WHO recommendations on the composition of vaccines for the 2003 Southern Hemisphere season should be followed.

A H1N1 strain:	an A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1)-like strain A/New Caledonia/20/99 (IVR-116) is recommended as a suitable vaccine strain.	15 µg HA per dose.
A H3N2 strain:	an A/Moscow/10/99 (H3N2)-like strain A/Panama/2007/99 (RESVIR-17) is recommended as a suitable vaccine strain.	15 µg HA per dose.
B Strain:	a B/Hong Kong/330/2001-like strain B/Shangdong/7/97 and B/Brisbane/32/2002 are recommended as suitable vaccine strains.	15 µg HA per dose.

This article was published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 27, No 1, March 2003.