​​Today ECDC publishes its risk assessment on the 2012/13 seasonal influenza epidemics in Europe. Epidemics started earlier than in the previous season and western Europe and Scandinavia were the first affected areas.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the composition of the trivalent influenza vaccine for the southern hemisphere winter 2018 influenza season in a report published 28 September 2017.

ECDC monitors and reports on influenza transmission and virus circulation in Europe on a weekly basis throughout the flu season, in collaboration with WHO Regional Office for Europe, in the report Flu News Europe.

The first virus detections for the 2019/2020 season indicate co-circulation of influenza types A (71%) and B (29%) viruses in the WHO European Region. This is a mix which potentially could result in high mortality in elderly patients and a heavy burden on healthcare services, warns the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe in a joint assessment issued today.

This article comments on the importance of improving surveillance and doing quickly research on vaccine safety to maintain public trust.

The WHO recommendations are in line with the currently circulating viruses in the southern hemisphere.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has agreed on the recommended composition of the trivalent influenza

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).