Europe embarks on seasonal flu vaccination campaigns

Health authorities will now step up disease surveillance efforts and are encouraging people in high risk groups, such as older people, healthcare workers, and those with serious underlying medical conditions, to be immunised.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) says surveillance and immunisation are essential to protecting Europeans against seasonal influenza.

To see the vaccination schedule in your country, click here

Weekly bulletins will be published from now on to track the spread of flu viruses across Europe as well as giving some insight into which strains of influenza are responsible for most infections.

The ECDC says infection with A(H1N1) – the strain which caused the 2009 influenza pandemic – is more likely to affect younger people compared with the pre-2009 pandemic period influenza.

The influenza epidemics may put hospitals, and especially intensive care units, under pressure, according to the ECDC.

Experts say the economic and social burden of influenza can be high but is reduced through successful immunisation campaigns.

Find out how the composition of the seasonal flu vaccine is decided