The National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), on Thursday (27/11), identified the viruses that must be combated by influenza vaccines that will be applied in 2026. The update comes after the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), which every year indicates which strains should be used in vaccines to guarantee greater protection.
The influenza vaccine is updated every year, as viruses evolve. Therefore, experts choose which versions of the strains should be included in the new formula to ensure greater effectiveness.
The new configuration for 2026 is published in the Anvisa standard instruction 408/2025. they:
- Triple vaccines: A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1)pdm09, A/Singapore/GP20238/2024 (H3N2) and B/Austria/1359417/2021 (Victorian lineage).
- Quadruple vaccines: The three mentioned above and the addition of strain B/Phuket/3073/2013 (Yamagata strain).
- Vaccine without using eggs: A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1)pdm09, A/Sydney/1359/2024 (H3N2) and B/Austria/1359417/2021 (Victorian lineage).
According to the Ministry of Health, the labels must indicate “2026 Southern Hemisphere strains.”
Change in 2027
According to a technical note, the World Health Organization recommended stopping quadrivalent vaccines starting in 2027, as one of the viruses contained in them is the B/Yamagata virus, which since 2020 has had no confirmed records of its spread.
Currently, Anvisa in Brazil has decided to maintain the supply of these vaccines in 2026 to ensure that there is no shortage of vaccines, both in the Unified Health System (SUS) and in the private network.
Quadrivalent vaccines should be withdrawn according to the availability of immunizers on the market. Anvisa informed that it will continue to monitor the scenario to ensure that residents are not left unprotected.