ECDC and WHO/Europe has updated Flu News Europe. Excerpt:
Week 50/2019 (9-15 December 2019)
• Influenza activity continued to increase across the Region: more countries or territories reported increases for intensity and geographic spread compared to the previous week.
• The majority of reported influenza virus detections across the Region were type A, although 5 countries reported type B virus dominance and 3 other countries reported co-dominance of types A and B viruses.
• Data from the 21 countries or regions reporting to the EuroMOMO project indicated that all-cause mortality was at expected levels for this time of the year.
• ECDC and WHO Europe published a joint Regional Situation Assessment of the 2019/20 influenza season as at week 49/2019, which focuses on disease severity and impact on healthcare systems to assist forward planning in Member States.
2019/20 season overview
• Influenza activity has increased in the European Region, although most countries still reported influenza activity rates at baseline or low levels.
• Influenza activity in the European Region, based on sentinel sampling, first exceeded a positivity rate of 10% in week 47/2019.
• Type A viruses dominated across the European Region, although a number of countries reported influenza type B virus dominance or co-dominance of types A and B viruses.
