New Flu Strain Picked For Flu Vaccine Mix

A new strain of flu virus called "A California" will be added to the mix used in the U.S. vaccine for next season, which is already causing anxiety after a shortage in the current season. Food and Drug Administration advisers on flu vaccines agreed on Wednesday that the U.S. vaccine should include the California strain to replace the Fujian strain, which produced a surprisingly early and strong flu season in 2003-2004 but which has not made a large number of people ill this season. The new California strain is in a family of usually dangerous H3N2 viruses and is already infecting people around the globe, said Dr. Nancy Cox, an influenza expert at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.