Seasonal influenza

Seasonal influenza assessment

The currently dominating viruses point at a possible heavy impact on the elderly and healthcare systems

Weekly influenza updates

In collaboration with WHO Regional Office for Europe, ECDC monitors and reports on influenza activity in Europe on a weekly basis throughout the flu season.

Influenza vaccine 2020

In September 2019, WHO has agreed on the recommended composition of the influenza vaccines for the southern hemisphere 2020 influenza season. WHO’s recommendations are based on the knowledge of the viruses currently circulating worldwide.

Read ECDC comment

All updates
Publications
News
Events
Data

Threats and outbreaks

Surveillance and disease data

Microbiology

Microbiology and laboratory reports; External quality assessments, Influenza virus characterisations.

Prevention and control

Health communication

ECDC brings together health communication research and best practices, and develops practical resources with the aim to assist public health authorities in Member States in their health promotion initiatives.

Facts

Partnerships and networks

ECDC publications and peer-reviewed articles

ECDC publications and peer-reviewed articles on influenza

Featured content

Influenza in Europe, summary of the season 2017–18

The influenza 2017/18 surveillance season started in week 40/2017 & ended in week 20/2018. Here you find an overview of the ECDC main outputs during the season 2017/18.

Joint ECDC-WHO/Europe weekly influenza update

In collaboration with WHO Regional Office for Europe, ECDC monitors and reports on influenza activity in Europe on a weekly basis throughout the flu season in the report Flu News Europe.

Go to the report

Weekly influenza infographics

Graphic visual representations of the latest influenza surveillance data: virus circulation, intensity and trends. The infographics are published weekly during the peak season.

See the visuals

Influenza Virus Characterisation Reports, summary Europe

The influenza virus characterisation reports give an overview of circulating influenza viruses in Europe. They provide details on the current vaccine strains, summarise the development of the viruses since the last report, and closely follow the main developments for the ongoing influenza season.

30% of the burden of communicable diseases in Europe is due to influenza

New study in Eurosurveillance, published April 2018, on the impact of infectious diseases on population in the European Union and European Economic Area countries.

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Expert opinion on neuraminidase inhibitors for the prevention and treatment of influenza - review of recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses

14 Aug 2017 - This ECDC expert opinion confirms earlier assessments by ECDC and national authorities that there is no significant new evidence to support any changes to the approved indications and recommended use of neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) in EU/EEA Member States.

Seasonal influenza vaccination in Europe – Vaccination recommendations and coverage rates for eight influenza seasons (2007–2008 to 2014–2015)

20 Jul 2017 - Vaccination recommendations and coverage rates in the EU Member States for eight influenza seasons: 2007–2008 to 2014–2015.

How close are countries of the WHO European Region to achieving the goal of vaccinating 75% of key risk groups against influenza?

How close are countries of the WHO European Region to achieving the goal of vaccinating 75% of key risk groups against influenza? Results from national surveys on seasonal influenza vaccination programmes, 2008/2009 to 2014/2015. Published in the Science, 36 (4), 25 Jan 2018.

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Interim 2017/18 influenza seasonal vaccine effectiveness: combined results from five European studies

Between September 2017 and February 2018, influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and B viruses (mainly B/Yamagata, not included in 2017/18 trivalent vaccines) co-circulated in Europe. Interim results from five European studies indicate that, in all age groups, 2017/18 influenza vaccine effectiveness was 25 to 52% against any influenza, 55 to 68% against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, −42 to 7% against influenza A(H3N2) and 36 to 54% against influenza B.

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Other types of influenza

2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic

The 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic was declared over in August 2010 by the World Health Organization. Europe has now entered a new inter-pandemic phase of seasonal influenza.

Disease / public health area

Avian influenza

Avian influenza is an infectious viral disease in birds, including domestic poultry. Avian influenza is mainly found in birds, but under certain circumstances infections can also occur in humans even though the risk is generally very low.

Disease / public health area

Pandemic influenza

A pandemic is the rapid spread of a new human influenza around the world. Influenza pandemics happen when a new strain of a flu virus appears which can infect humans, to which most people have no immunity and which can transmit efficiently from human to human.

Disease / public health area

Swine influenza

Swine influenza is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that regularly cause outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Influenza viruses that commonly circulate in swine are called “swine influenza viruses” or “swine flu viruses.” Like human influenza viruses, there are different subtypes and strains of swine influenza viruses.

ECDC disease programmes and networks

European Influenza Surveillance Network (EISN)

The network combines epidemiological and virological surveillance of influenza.

European Reference Laboratory Network for Human Influenza (ERLI-Net)

The ERLI-Net sub-network of reference laboratories of the European Influenza Surveillance Network carries out virological surveillance of human influenza in the EU/EEA through the EISN timely reporting mechanism and strengthening laboratory capacity for influenza virus detection, antiviral susceptibility testing and typing.

Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses Programme

The Programme aims to support European bodies and Member States in the enactment of European Council Recommendations and Communications on seasonal influenza immunisation and pandemic preparedness.

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

An agency of the European Union

Seasonal influenza