27 December is observed as International Day for Epidemic Preparedness, highlighting the crucial need to prevent, detect and effectively respond to health threats that can become epidemics.

It’s difficult to predict just how severe the influenza season will be each year, but public health experts say it could be harsh in Europe due to lagging vaccination rates and early signals from far-flung countries such as Japan and Australia.

Health misinformation poses a threat not only to individuals’ health and wellbeing but also to public health more broadly, and it carries steep economic costs.

ESWI held a very successful Roundtable on 15 September in Vienna, focusing on facilitating dialogue to improve influenza prevention, control and vaccine uptake.

As COVID-19 transitions from a pandemic to an endemic disease, its integration into the broader policy and healthcare framework for respiratory diseases becomes imperative.

This year, 15 October marks the evolution of #EUFluDay into #EURespiDay, a broader call for EU action on respiratory infection prevention.

In her State of the Union speech, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will head a new Global Health Resilience Initiative, stressing that Europe must take the lead on global health.

Misinformation about vaccines can hinder efforts to increase immunization rates.