National Influenza Centers
National Influenza Centers (also called National Influenza Centres) are institutions which are formally recognized as such by the World Health Organization (WHO).
"The WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network was established in 1952. The network comprises 4 WHO Collaborating Centres (WHO CCs) and 112 institutions in 83 countries, which are recognized by WHO as WHO National Influenza Centres (NICs). These NICs collect specimens in their country, perform primary virus isolation and preliminary antigenic characterization. They ship newly isolated strains to WHO CCs for high level antigenic and genetic analysis, the result of which forms the basis for WHO recommendations on the composition of influenza vaccine for the Northern and Southern Hemisphere each year."[1]
Among the more than 110 National Influenza Centers are the WHO collaborating centres and reference laboratories that are involved in annual influenza vaccine composition recommendations.
WHO collaborating centers and reference laboratories
- Dr I. D. Gust
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza
- 45 Poplar Rd
- Parkville
- Victoria
- 3052 Australia
- Telephone: +61 3 8344 3963
- Fax: +61 3 9347 1540
- Influenza news on: [1]
- Dr M. Tashiro
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza
- Department of Viral Diseases and Vaccine Control
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases
- Gakuen 4-7-2
- Musashi-Murayama
- Tokyo 208-0011
- Japan
- Telephone: +81 42 565 2498
- Fax: +81 42 565 2498
- Dr A. Hay
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza
- National Institute for Medical Research
- The Ridgeway, Mill Hill
- London NW7 1AA
- United Kingdom
- Telephone: +44 208 959 3666
- Fax: +44 208 906 44 77
- Dr N. Cox
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Control of Influenza
- Influenza Branch
- Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases
- National Centers for Infectious Diseases Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop G16
- Atlanta, Georgia 30333
- United States of America
- Telephone: +1 404 639 3591
- Fax: +1 404 639 2334
- Influenza news on: [3]
- Dr G. Grohmann
- Immunology and Vaccines
- Therapeutic Goods Administration Laboratories
- P.O. Box 100, Woden ACT, 2606 Australia
- Telephone: +61 2 6232 8490 Fax: +61 2 6232 8564
- Dr J. Wood
- Division of Virology
- National Institute for Biological Standards and Control
- Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Potters Bar,
- Hertfordshire EN6 3QG
- United Kingdom
- Telephone: +44 1 707 641 000
- Fax: +44 1 707 646 730
- e-mail: enquiries@nibsc.ac.uk
- Dr R. Levandowski
- Division of Viral Products
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research
- Food and Drug Administration
- 1401 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852
- United States of America
- Telephone: +1 301 827 1908
- Fax: +1 301 402 5128