On the 26 October 2011, The Lancet Infectious Diseases published a systematic review and a meta-analysis, combining the results of several studies undertaken on influenza vaccine effectiveness.
This is an authoritative independent evidence-based review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and effectiveness of influenza vaccines. It confines itself to trials and observational studies where diagnostic tests confirmed influenza infection as the end point.
This report describes the investigation of two cases of febrile respiratory illness caused by swine influenza A (H3N2) viruses identified on the 19th and the 26th August 2011 in two different states in the US (Indiana and Pennsylvania).
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently recommended using the same three flu strains in next year's Southern Hemisphere (SH) vaccine as are in the current Northern Hemisphere vaccine and were used last year in southern hemisphere countries.
The one-day workshop was the 2nd of a series of workshops in support to the Council Recommendation of December 2009 that encourages EU and EEA Member States to adopt and implement action plans or policies to improve seasonal influenza vaccination coverage.
The 1918 pandemic continues to provide a rich source of studies of the clinical impact of those novel viruses which between 1918 and 1920 killed up to 50 million people world-wide. These two recent studies first shows autopsy results among military recruits who died from the first influenza pandemic of the 20th century and the second suggests the impact on births.
Topics covered includeed: Human seasonal influenza programme planning; Surveillance systems and epidemiological studies; Laboratory issues; Human seasonal influenza policy; Vaccination; Targeting priority groups; Communication; Evaluation and research of human seasonal influenza and Action planning.
ECDC has organised the “Influenza Workshop Week” to support Member States and the European Commission in implementing the 2009 EU Council Recommendation on Seasonal Influenza Immunisation.