Influenza epidemics occur every winter with high impact on disease burden, hospitalisations and excess mortality in countries in the WHO European Region. To understand the characteristics of circulating influenza viruses during seasonal epidemics, virological influenza surveillance is performed and detected viruses are further characterised at national influenza centres (NICs) that are part of the wider network of the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS). External quality assessments (EQAs) are important instruments in assessing the quality of the generated data that are reported nationally and internationally through The European Surveillance System (TESSy).

This report presents the results of the first external quality assurance (EQA) scheme for Bordetella identification and typing funded by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

This report describes the first external quality assurance (EQA) scheme on typing of Salmonella subspecies, organised for the laboratories of the Food- and Waterborne Diseases and Zoonoses network by ECDC.

This report presents the results of an external quality assurance (EQA) scheme for Bordetella pertussis serology which was carried out during the summer of 2013.

In June and July 2015, an influenza virus antiviral susceptibility external quality assessment was held for European reference laboratories. This report presents the result of the third antiviral EQA panel distributed by the European Reference Laboratory Network for Human Influenza since the European Influenza Surveillance Network was established in 2008.

​This report presents the results of the fifth round of the Salmonella External Quality Assessment (EQA) scheme for typing of Salmonella enterica spp. enterica (further EQA-5).