Open AccessInfluenza surveillance
Author(s) -
Karolina Bednarska,
E. Hallmann-Szelińska,
Katarzyna Kondratiuk,
Lidia B. Brydak
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
postępy higieny i medycyny doświadczalnej
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.275
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1732-2693
pISSN - 0032-5449
DOI - 10.5604/17322693.1199709
Subject(s) - pandemic , public health , virology , epidemiological surveillance , vaccination , human mortality from h5n1 , population , virus , influenza a virus , influenza a virus subtype h5n1 , environmental health , antigenic drift , epidemiology , medicine , covid-19 , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , nursing , pathology
Influenza surveillance was established in 1947. From this moment WHO (World Health Organization) has been coordinating international cooperation, with a goal of monitoring influenza virus activity, effective diagnostic of the circulating viruses and informing society about epidemics or pandemics, as well as about emergence of new subtypes of influenza virus type A. Influenza surveillance is an important task, because it enables people to prepare themselves for battle with the virus that is constantly mutating, what leads to circulation of new and often more virulent strains of influenza in human population. As vaccination is the most effective method of fighting the virus, one of the major tasks of GISRS is developing an optimal antigenic composition of the vaccine for the current epidemic season. European Influenza Surveillance Network (EISN) has also developed over the years. EISN is running integrated epidemiological and virological influenza surveillance, to provide appropriate data to public health experts in member countries, to enable them undertaking relevant activities based on the current information about influenza activity. In close cooperation with GISRS and EISN are National Influenza Centres--national institutions designated by the Ministry of Health in each country.