ECDC Influenza news for week 30 (24 July)
This week:
Epidemiological updates
o There are confirmed reports of transmission of influenza in association with an international religious youth festival that took place in Sydney, Australia July 15-20th. Member states may have seen an International Health Regulations alert on this from Australia which is at the start of its annual winter epidemic of influenza. ECDC makes a comment.
o Over the summer months EISS is issuing fortnightly bulletins summarizing virological data on influenza cases. The latest inter-seasonal bulletin recorded only sporadic laboratory confirmed case of influenza in Europe.
o Complete data can be reviewed here. This month more samples have been tested in Belgium showing that 53% (17 of 32) A(H1N1) specimens were resistant . Some data has become also available for specimens in Poland. The next update will be available at the end of July.
o There are no new human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) reported by WHO since 19th June 2008. A few ongoing outbreaks in poultry are being reported by Vietnamese authorities
Scientific advances
o A perspective article points out that Influenza is one of the most frequent vaccine preventable diseases in travellers. ECDC recommends that those usually targeted for influenza vaccination should receive vaccination within 6 months of travel to the tropics at any time of year or to the southern hemisphere during the European summer ECDC Makes a Comment
Public Health Developments
o This is updating the WHO 2005 guidance and saying much more about what measures WHO recommends Member States should take. In mid-September some of the draft documents go up for a public consultation and this will be the first and only opportunity for many European Member States to formally comment on the documents.
o An Indonesian paper report an interpretation of the facts around the Indonesia’s decision not to share A(H5N1) virus samples through the World Health Organization (WHO) since January 2007. ECDC describes the many angles through which the virus sharing issue can be interpreted, and points out that the article only gives one single point of view. ECDC makes a comment.
Meetings and workshops