Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview, 21 April 2011 - Week 15

The influenza epidemics of the 2010–11 season are now drawing to a close in European countries.All 22 countries reporting influenza intensity have been experiencing low activity. 23 countries reporteddecreasing or unchanging trends.Of the 24 influenza viruses detected in sentinel specimens, 23 (95.8%) have been influenza B viruses andone (4.2%) has been influenza A virus (week 15/2011). For more than a month, influenza B viruses havebeen detected more frequently than influenza A viruses.Three countries reported a total of 10 hospitalised severe acute respiratory infections, of which one wasdue to influenza infection.