Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) covers the period 23-29 January 2022 and includes updates on COVID-19, Influenza, the Omicron variant, poliomyelitis and mass gathering monitoring for the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
The joint annual influenza surveillance meeting by ECDC and the WHO Regional Office for Europe took place on 6 - 8 June 2018 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Invited participants were epidemiological and virological surveillance experts nominated by national health authorities as well as representatives from international institutions, covering the 53 countries of the EU/EEA and the WHO European region. The meeting was by invitation only.
This guide is intended for use by those involved in pandemic preparedness planning, generic preparedness and implementation of IHR core capacities in European countries. The document describes good practice for pandemic preparedness planning based on lessons learned from the 2009 pandemic.
Influenza pandemics, whether mild, moderate or severe, affect a large proportion of the population and require a multisectoral response over several months or even years. For this reason, countries develop plans describing their strategies for responding to a pandemic supported by operational plans at national and subnational levels.
This practical course covered outbreak investigation, pandemic planning, recent developments in respiratory pathogen biology and therapy, and focused around two practical scenarios in which participants could gain experience in managing an acute epidemic.
This practical course will cover outbreak investigation, pandemic planning, recent developments in respiratory pathogen biology and therapy, and will focus around two practical scenarios in which participants will gain experience in managing an acute epidemic. Research during an epidemic and ethical aspects will also be covered.
Location:Amsterdam, Netherlands
Organized by:The course is co-organised by ECDC and European Respiratory Society.