The third annual joint influenza surveillance meeting was held in Istanbul. The meeting focused on virological and epidemiological aspects of influenza surveillance, influenza vaccination, and new developments in the field of influenza prevention and control.
In accordance with the Key Tasks, ERLI-Net laboratories should participate in external quality assurance (EQA) schemes. EQA panels are distributed by both ERLI-Net and the WHO.
The 2012–2013 influenza season was of a slightly longer duration than the 2011–2012 season, starting around week 48/2012, peaking around week 5/2013 and lasting until week 16/2013.
The results of two, as yet unpublished, investigations of laboratory-induced genetic changes in avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses have been reported to have found that a surprisingly few number of changes make the viruses transmissible between ferrets, the most commonly used model for the way influenza behaves in humans. The possibility that this could have resulted in the development in laboratories of A(H5N1) influenza viruses transmissible between humans has caused concern for public safety and generated unusually high levels of debate in the scientific community. This report summarises and explains the complex public health and scientific issues around these developments including the positive and negative aspects of some of the responses that have been proposed internationally.
This report, originally published by WHO/Europe, summarizes ECDC and WHO/Europe's first joint influenza surveillance meeting, held on 7-9 June 2011 and hosted by the Slovenian Ministry of Health.
The annual regional influenza surveillance meeting is for influenza surveillance focal points to be provided with an update on regional and global developments and exchange information.
Influenza pandemics occur when new influenza viruses appear that transmit efficiently between humans and to which a substantial proportion of the population is susceptible