Surveillance system to improve early detection of respiratory viruses

A new surveillance dashboard for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Covid-19 has been launced by the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

The system, known as the European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary, features a weekly epidemiological summary. The primary aim of the platform is to serve as a tool for the early detection and communication of signals of respiratory virus circulation in the EU/EEA and WHO European region.

By providing a concise summary of the status of respiratory virus infections, ERVISS supports public health decision-makers to take decisions to limit the impact on healthcare systems and the wider public.

Where available, ERVISS also presents laboratory testing and virus characterisation data for circulating pathogens, such as determining virus type/subtype/strain, susceptibility to antivirals and similarity to available vaccines.