This protocol was designed and developed at this laboratory. The protocol specifically aims to amplify strains of Influenza B YAMAGATA virus lineage and not strains of the VICTORIA virus lineage or other virus species. The assay targets the haemagglutinin (HA) region and is designed as a qualitative lineage-typing test for human cases of seasonal influenza virus type B infections. FluB-YAMA-TM2018 is ideally used alongside its companion protocol, "Influenza B virus VICTORIA lineage TaqMan 2018" (FluB-VICT-TM2018), which aims to target influenza B virus VICTORIA lineage strains exclusively. The two assays perform best as UNIPLEX protocols; a drop in sensitivity was observed when combined in a DUPLEX format.