Antiviral drugs are an important addition to the public health arsenal against influenza. This interim guidance discusses the options for their effective use, especially during a pandemic.

This interim guidance outlines the possible strategies that countries may wish to adopt in the deployment of a pandemic-specific vaccine, considering the two objectives of vaccination: protecting those at greatest risk of severe disease and maintaining essential services.

As epidemics of the new influenza A(H1N1) virus are extending globally, some European countries are considering how robustly to undertake case-finding among the first cases and whether to pursue and treat contacts.

​Illnesses caused by infectious diseases are common in children in schools or other childcare settings. Currently there is no common EU approach to the control of communicable diseases in schools or other childcare settings, and existing information is uncertain.