The evolution of influenza surveillance in Europe and prospects for the next 10 years

This report traces the evolution of surveillance programmes for influenza in the United Kingdom and countries of western Europe since the World Health Organisation (WHO) resolution to establish an international influenza reference centre in 1947. The introduction of clinical surveillance schemes in the late 1960s and their gradual integration with laboratory-based surveillance is described, with particular emphasis on the need for integrated surveillance based on population-specific denominators. The function of the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS), its work programme in the last 5 years, and the likely direction of future developments is outlined. The report advocates the EISS model of influenza surveillance, which involves the integrated collection of clinical and laboratory data in the same population using sentinel practitioners.