3rd Joint ECDC-WHO Europe influenza surveillance meeting, 2013
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. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the WHO Regional Office for Europe coordinate surveillance and other activities related to the prevention and mitigation of influenza in Europe.
Meeting report:.
At the meeting, a number of key issues relating to influenza surveillance in the European region were discussed. A total of 150 national focal points for epidemiological and virological surveillance gathered at the meeting to review the 2012-13 influenza season and the response to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, among other things.
The report summarises the numerous session discussions held at this year's meeting, and offers a series of conclusions and recommendations on topics such as outbreaks and response capacities, influenza vaccination efforts in Member States and pandemic risk assessment.