The reported national influenza trends indicate that influenza season is coming to its end in Europe, highlights the Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview for Week 18.

The national seasonal influenza trends are continuing to increase in a number of countries, although three countries are also reporting they have seen a peak in their epidemics. The season is still dominated by A(H3) viruses, but B viruses seem to be on the increase recently as reported in the latest edition of the Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview (week 9/2012).

The national influenza season epidemics in Europe are continuing upwards in a number of countries although they have peaked in at least two countries that were affected early. The epidemics remain dominated by A(H3) viruses, but B viruses seem to be become more important. This is reported in the latest edition of the Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview (week 8/2012).

During week 50/2011 (12 - 18 December 2011), low influenza activity was notified by all 29 countries reporting: Read the Weekly influenza surveillance overview, week 50/2011.

The latest edition of the Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report shows that Europe is still reporting low influenza activity. ECDC has been monitoring the patterns of human influenza infection in the southern hemisphere countries in their winters as well as our own experience in Europe of last season as this gives some indication of what can be expected in the following northern hemisphere winter.

The latest Weekly influenza surveillance overview (WISO) shows that Europe is still reporting low influenza activity. Eight weeks after the beginning of the surveillance season for influenza in the Northern Hemisphere, there has been no evidence of sustained transmission in EU/EAA countries, but more influenza viruses are being detected.

CDC has reported recent infections in children in North America with a swine-origin triple reassortant influenza A(H3N2) virus that includes a genetic component from the pandemic 2009 virus, and with probable human-to-human transmission with these viruses.

During week 45 (7-13 November 2011), all 28 countries providing data to the European Surveillance System (TESSy) database reported low influenza activity.

The 2011 seasonal influenza immunisation campaigns have started across Europe.  As in previous years ECDC is marking the start of the 2011-12 surveillance season in Week 40 with the publication of regular weekly updates of the main epidemiological and virological developments in the Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview (WISO).

Australia has reported oseltamivir resistance of A(H1N1)2009 influenza virus in the state of New South Wales,  with assumed person-to-person transmission of the resistant strain. The European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has produced a rapid risk assessment to assess the situation.

A new meeting report is now available on the ECDC website. The report covers health communication strategies that could be undertaken to better promote influenza prevention measures and the healthcare professionals’ role in the uptake of seasonal influenza vaccination.

ECDC commissioned a multinational case-control study to assess the association between adjuvanted pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 vaccine and GBS. The results show that the risk of occurrence of GBS is not increased after vaccination with adjuvanted influenza pandemic vaccine.

During the Annual Meeting of the European Influenza Surveillance Network (EISN), participants concluded that based on “countries’ experiences, systems installed prior to a crisis are easier to activate and are more effective during the actual event.”

ECDC, jointly with WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Commission, has published a set of pandemic preparedness indicators.

In the context of the current pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009, disease surveillance based on reporting of the number of cases has become unsustainable in some of the most heavily affected countries as numbers rise exponentially.

In response, and together with the EU/EEA Member States and WHO, ECDC has developed plans for how Europe can maintain a minimum level of surveillance of the influenza (H1N1) 2009 during the expected autumn wave of the pandemic.

ECDC has released an updated risk assessment of the pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009. The document points out that the virus will continue to transmit in a heterogeneous manner but at a low level over the summer in European countries and that it is likely that a proper first wave of the pandemic will take place in the autumn and winter.