Surveillance for seasonal influenza

ECDC collects epidemiological and virological data from the EU/EEA Member States. The surveillance data reported comes largely from sentinel influenza surveillance systems, which cover a subset of the population in each country. Some countries conduct universal influenza surveillance, meaning that all cases meeting the relevant case definition are reported. Several countries also conduct surveillance of hospitalised cases. A sample of cases is also tested to determine virus characteristics.

The weekly surveillance of seasonal influenza is complemented by epidemic intelligence activities at ECDC, which encompass monitoring of official and unofficial sources on outbreaks and other influenza-related developments.

Surveillance reports and protocols

Technical guidance

Reporting protocols provide guidelines on how to prepare data for submission to The European Surveillance System (TESSy). All pertinent deadlines are listed, and recent changes to the metadata summarised. The following reporting protocols are relevant for the reporting of seasonal influenza:

Reporting protocols