Weekly influenza surveillance overview, week 7 2014

​For week 7/2014:
• Of the 29 countries providing clinical data, Finland and Greece reported high-intensity influenza activity, eleven reported medium intensity and 16 countries reported low-intensity influenza activity.
• Of the 1 332 sentinel specimens tested across 25 countries, 488 (37%) were positive for influenza virus.
• Six countries reported 221 hospitalised, laboratory-confirmed influenza cases, including 117 cases admitted to intensive care units (ICU).

Based on the various indicators for the influenza season, the status of the season is considerably varied among EU/EEA Member States. Some countries are experiencing decreasing influenza activity while others have not yet reached an epidemic peak. Influenza A(H1)pdm09 and A(H3) viruses are co-circulating in outpatient settings; however, A(H1)pdm09 is predominant in hospitalised cases. Influenza B virus has rarely been detected.