2010 WHO European regional influenza surveillance meeting
WHO/Europe collects clinical, epidemiological and virological data on influenza from the 53 Member States of the European Region with the assistance of national focal points for influenza surveillance. Each year, WHO/Europe organizes a meeting for these focal points to exchange information and discuss new developments. In 2010 the annual meeting was held at an important time where many countries were transitioning from pandemic to post-pandemic surveillance. As such, it provided an excellent opportunity to review and discuss existing and planned strategies for national influenza surveillance.
National focal points primarily from 24 Member States in eastern and southeastern Europe, who provide weekly data on influenza to WHO/Europe for the EuroFlu bulletin, were invited to attend, as well as participants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, WHO headquarters, WHO collaborating centres and academic partners.
The meeting aimed to:
- provide a situation update on pandemic (H1N1) 2009, with respect to epidemiology, virology and vaccination;
- review in detail the current status and operations of routine influenza surveillance at the national level in the European Region;
- discuss direct and indirect methods for estimating the burden of influenza from surveillance data and vital statistics;
- present the tasks of National Influenza Centres and criteria for WHO-recognition; and
- introduce health communication models related to influenza.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to share information and experiences among experts in the area of influenza surveillance in the WHO European Region.
WHO/Europe coordinates its activities related to influenza surveillance with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). In June 2010, ECDC convened a meeting on influenza surveillance for the 29 EU and EEA Member States in Sofia, Bulgaria. Read more about this event by following the link at the right.
