Archive: WHO/Europe news and updates

Statement of Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) on Pandemrix® vaccine and narcolepsy

10 February 2011
A statement of the National Institute of Health and Welfare of Finland indicated an increased risk of narcolepsy among children and adolescents vaccinated with Pandemrix®, an adjuvanted vaccine against pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009 manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. WHO’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) has reviewed the data and released a statement.

Pandemrix® vaccine and increased risk of narcolepsy

01 February 2010
The National Institute of Health and Welfare of Finland today issued a statement indicating an increased risk of narcolepsy (a rare sleep disorder that causes a person to fall asleep suddenly and unexpectedly) observed among children and adolescents vaccinated with Pandemrix®, an adjuvanted pandemic H1N1 vaccine manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.

Increasing influenza activity in the WHO European Region

14 January 2011
Influenza activity is increasing in the WHO European Region, most notably in the north-western part. Several countries have reported severe and fatal cases and the burden of severe influenza has placed considerable strain on critical care services in two western European countries.

Start of influenza season

17 December 2010
Signs of increasing influenza activity in a number of countries indicate the start of the influenza season in the WHO European Region.

Very limited, sporadic influenza detections in the WHO European Region

13 September 2010
Update on influenza activity in the European Region.

Update on evaluation of the response to pandemic (H1N1) 2009

05 July 2010
WHO/Europe has now visited seven Member States to evaluate pandemic preparedness planning and has compiled a preliminary list of lessons learned.

Evaluation of EuroFlu Bulletin completed

02 July 2010
The results of an evaluation conducted by WHO/Europe are now available.

Launch of WHO/Europe evaluation on how pandemic preparedness activities aided the response to the H1N1 pandemic

15 May 2010
In the period May to June 2010, six randomly selected countries in the European Region will be visited by a WHO team of experts in pandemic preparedness and response.

Situation update in the European Region

11 March 2010
WHO/Europe publishes a weekly electronic bulletin on influenza activity in the Region and performs periodic analysis of surveillance data provided by the 53 WHO European Member States. This situation update provides an overview of influenza surveillance data from week 40/2009 to week 07/2010 and highlights the main developments related to pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in the Region.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009: no phase change

24 February 2010
Based on Emergency Committee discussions yesterday, the WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, has determined that the pandemic phase has not changed, so the pandemic alert level remains at phase six. All countries in the WHO European Region report low or medium intensity of influenza activity.

WHO vaccine recommendations for 2010-2011 northern hemisphere influenza season

24 February 2010
Based on available epidemiological and virological data provided to WHO between September 2009 and February 2010, WHO has announced the recommended viruses for use in the influenza vaccine for the 2010-2011 northern hemisphere influenza season.

Vaccine for Azerbaijan

29 January 2010
Thirty-seven countries in the WHO European Region have organized pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine campaigns. Azerbaijan received its first shipment of donated vaccine in early January 2010, and is currently vaccinating target groups including health workers, life support services staff, pregnant women and people with chronic lung disease. WHO has received pledged donations of 199 million doses of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine from countries and manufacturers. Azerbaijan is one of 8 countries eligible in the European Region to receive the donated vaccine.

Donated pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine arrives in Azerbaijan

08 January 2010
Today, Azerbaijan received its first shipment of donated pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine. Vaccination will target health care workers, the staff of life support services, pregnant women, people with a history of chronic lung disease and children aged 14–17. The pre-qualified, inactivated adjuvanted vaccine is produced by GlaxoSmithKline.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 activity continues despite declining clinical trends

05 January 2010
While pandemic (H1N1) 2009 activity remains high in four countries, Georgia, Poland, Serbia and Ukraine, and some regions of the Russian Federation, clinical respiratory disease activity has declined over the past 3 weeks in 16 countries. A shipment of donated pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine is due to arrive in Azerbaijan this week.

Previous updates

Updates on the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 situation since 24 April 2009

15 countries report high pandemic (H1N1) 2009 activity

15 December 2009
During the period 4–10 December 2009, very high influenza activity was reported in Lithuania, and high activity was reported in 14 other countries: Albania, Estonia, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.

High pandemic (H1N1) 2009 activity, particularly in children

30 November 2009
During the period 20–26 November 2009, very high activity was reported in the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation (north-western, Siberian and Volga regions) and Sweden. Albania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation (as a whole), Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland reported high activity during this period, particularly in children up to 15 years of age.

18 countries report high pandemic (H1N1) 2009 activity

24 November 2009
During the period 13 to 20 November 2009, very high pandemic activity was reported in Italy for the first time this season. Norway, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation (Urals region) and Sweden also reported very high activity. Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine reported high pandemic activity during this period.

No significant changes in the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus in Ukraine

17 November 2009

Gathering vital evidence: the work of influenza laboratories on pandemic (H1N1) 2009

14 countries report high pandemic (H1N1) 2009 activity

14 November 2009
During the period 5 to 12 November 2009, high or very high pandemic activity has been reported in countries in Scandinavia, eastern Europe and south-eastern Europe. Very high pandemic activity was reported in Norway, Sweden, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova for the first time.

Health facilities in Ukraine well prepared for pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza

12 November 2009
On Wednesday, 11 November, the last WHO regional investigation team returned to Kyiv. While the teams have yet to finish drawing conclusions, they found health facilities in Ukraine well prepared and highly motivated to deal with the influx of cases.

10 countries report high pandemic (H1N1) 2009 activity

10 November 2009
During the period 27 October to 4 November, very high pandemic activity was reported in Iceland, Ireland and the Russian Federation (Urals region) and high activity in Belarus, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy, the Russian Federation (far eastern, Siberian, north-western and central regions), Sweden and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland only).

WHO staff review pandemic prevention steps in Ukraine

8 November 2009
The WHO team of experts has continued its work in Ukraine over the weekend. While four members continued investigations in Lviv – one of the most affected regions in the country – two others travelled 100 km west of the capital, Kyiv, to Zhytomyr: a medium-sized city and a regional (oblast) capital.

Health workers in Ukraine under pressure, but coping

07 November 2009
An international team of WHO experts is continuing its work in Ukraine, investigating on behalf of the Government an outbreak of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza.

WHO begins investigating pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in western Ukraine

05 November 2009
On Wednesday, 4 November 2009, five members of the WHO mission in Ukraine arrived in Lviv, in the western part of the country.

Experts investiage pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus activity in Ukraine

4 November 2009

Experts recommend single dose of pandemic vaccine

2 November 2009

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, Ukraine

1 November 2009

Overview of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in the WHO European Region

October 2009

Over 52 000 cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in Europe

22 September 2009