Abstract
We aimed to assess the epidemiology and spatiotemporal patterns of influenza in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region and evaluate the validity of partitioning the Region into five influenza transmission zones (ITZs) as proposed by the WHO. We used the FluNet database and included over 650,000 influenza cases from 2000 to 2015. We analysed the data by country and season (from July to the following June). We calculated the median proportion of cases caused by each virus type in a season, compared the timing of the primary peak between countries and used a range of cluster analysis methods to assess the degree of overlap between the WHO-defined and data-driven ITZs. Influenza A and B caused, respectively, a median of 83% and 17% cases in a season. There was a significant west-to-east and non-significant (p = 0.10) south-to-north gradient in the timing of influenza activity. Typically, influenza peaked in February and March; influenza A earlier than influenza B. Most countries in the WHO European Region would fit into two ITZs: ‘Western Europe’ and ‘Eastern Europe’; countries bordering Asia may be better placed into extra-European ITZs. Our findings have implications for the presentation of surveillance data and prevention and control measures in this large WHO Region.
Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) European Region includes 53 countries covering a total population of nearly 900 million inhabitants
Countries in the west of Europe have been sharing epidemiological and virological data via the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS) since 1996 [9,10], and this collaborative project became in 2008 the European Influenza Surveillance Network (EISN) coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
The FluNet database included 654,952 viral isolates collected during the study period in 47 countries of the WHO European Region, of which 80.1% were influenza A and 19.9% were influenza B
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) European Region includes 53 countries covering a total population of nearly 900 million inhabitants. Influenza has a substantial medical and economic burden every season in the World Health Organization European Region (WHO/ Europe) [1,2,3,4], and the reduction of influenza-related morbidity and mortality has long been recognised as a priority health objective in Europe. The WHO European Region has become increasingly interconnected, especially since the end of the Cold War in 1991 and the eastward enlargement of the European Union (EU), and it is widely accepted that efficient and timely influenza surveillance must be coordinated at national and supranational level. Countries in the west of Europe have been sharing epidemiological and virological data via the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS) since 1996 [9,10], and this collaborative project became in 2008 the European Influenza Surveillance Network (EISN) coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The WHO Regional Office for Europe extended the surveillance activities of EISS to all countries of the WHO European Region in 2008 [10]
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