ECDC and WHO launch new surveillance tool for respiratory viruses to improve early detection

ECDC and World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe have jointly developed the European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS), an interactive surveillance data dashboard for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that also 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 epidemiological and virological situation for respiratory virus infections, ERVISS supports public health decision-makers to take timely, well-informed 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. SARS-CoV-2 demonstrated that novel respiratory pathogens with pandemic potential may emerge at any...