Have questions? Contact Us
Influenza Virus Strains Selected for 26-27 Season
Since Influenza infections can range from a dreadful nuisance to simply as serious as a pathogen invasion/infection/infestation can get, get the flu shot. As different as these last 3 terms are, they seem similar enough to describe a nasty assault on one’s personal biology. Thinking of the intrusion, these viruses without any brains at all manage to push their way into one's nose or mouth then break into one's cells, wreak havoc, hijack one's protein manufacturing system to make copies of themselves. After all of that, their unwelcome presence causes one’s infected cells to explode thus launching more viruses to go forth in greater numbers to then repeat the process en masse. Prior to our current understanding of Influenza, William Henry Welch, an impressive influence in the history of American Medicine, during the autopsies of influenza victims, observed “This must be some new kind of infection or plague.” Clearly, influenza isn’t pretty.
The flu vaccine provides some pre-infection intelligence to one’s personal bio military defense system. Getting the flu shot gives them a headstart to begin developing targeted ammunition. Since viruses are not complex organisms their ability to evolve is a factor we need to outsmart, hence the re-formulation of the flu vaccine each season. After thorough review of world influenza epidemiological data and relevant flu activity to the United States, a decision is made on which are the most likely influenza enemies we need to prepare to protect ourselves against. This upcoming influenza 26-27 season’s strains have been selected by the World Health Organization and adopted by the FDA for the fall 2026 U.S. influenza vaccines. Thank you to everyone involved in this war against the flu virus and all it’s variations; from the patient who gets the flu shot, to the immunization providers evaluating their pre-book flu vaccine reservation needs, to the manufacturers meticulously developing the vaccine, to the historical & brilliant minds like Oswald T. Avery, researchers and epidemiologists, and those in the know today like Dr.Paul Offit helping us all understand the facts. Oh, and finally the Physician’s Buying Group PracticeWell team assisting physician’s in accessing the best possible discounts on all the flu vaccine options! Fluzone High Dose, Flublok, Fluzone, Fluad, Flucelvax, Flulaval, Fluarix, Flumist and sometime soon, the Moderna mRNA Flu vaccine, which is currently under FDA review. Need a refresher on the influenza vaccine acronyms? This last resource should be updated to the 2026-2027 Influenza season shortly. Afluria will no longer be available as it had been last season. Join PracticeWell today to help keep influenza at bay.