国家药监局正式批准首个四价流感疫苗上市

China's drug regulator has approved the country's first vaccine that can protect people from four influenza virus strains.

中国药品监管机构近日批准了国内首个能够保护人们不被4种流感病株感染的疫苗。

The four-strain vaccine adds protection against the Yamagata lineage of Influenza B, which was the main virus strain during the last flu season, according to the National Drug Administration of China.

国家药品监督管理局称，这种四价疫苗加入能预防上次流感季中的主要病株B乙型Yamagata流感的抗体。

Two domestic companies -- Hualan and Changsheng -- are the approved vaccine producers. The vaccine may be used on adults and children aged three years and above.

华兰和长春两家国内公司获批成为这种疫苗的生产商。该疫苗或适用于成年人及3岁以上的儿童。

H1N1 and H3N2 of Influenza A, and Victoria and Yamagata lineages of Influenza B are the common strains of human flu viruses. Until now, China had only three-strain vaccines on the market.

甲型H1N1和H3N2流感、乙型Victoria和Yamagata流感是人流感病毒的常见菌株。到目前为止，中国市场上只有三价疫苗。

The seasonal flu is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses, affecting seniors, infants, and people with cardiopulmonary diseases in particular. Vaccination is considered the most effective way to prevent infection and guard against an epidemic.

季节性流感是由流感病毒引起的急性呼吸道传染病，老年人、婴儿和心肺疾病患者容易受传染。目前，接种疫苗被认为是预防流感和流行病最有效的方法。

Last winter, north China regions battled a surge of flu infections. Child cases reportedly rose sharply, leading to crowded hospitals.

去年冬季，华北地区出现了流感的激增。据报道，儿童病例急剧上升，导致医院人满为患。