LATEST ESWI NEWS

ESWI paper on travellers and influenza now published!

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Seasonal influenza is the most frequent vaccine preventable infectious disease in travellers. Yet, surprisingly, recommendations regarding influenza in travel medicine are scarce. It is therefore high time to harmonize international and national travel medicine guidelines for influenza prevention and treatment. To that end, an expert group of ESWI and ISTM (International Society for Travel Medicine) have reviewed existing flu recommendations for travellers, and listed some interesting suggestions for improvement. Our joint working group has now published its expert opinion paper “Travellers and influenza: risks and prevention” in the Journal for Travel Medicine. Get the full article (pdf) here.

ESWI Best Body of Work Award: the Evaluation Committee

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14 December 2016 was the deadline for participation in the 2017 ESWI Best Body of Work Award competition. No less than 19 young scientists have entered the competition and from these entries one award winner will receive a cash award of €10,000 and an invitation to present at the Sixth ESWI Influenza Conference (Riga, September 2017). Eight renowned influenza scientists have agreed to lend their name and expertise to the award and to evaluate the applications:

  • Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
  • Yoshi Kawaoka, University of Wisconsin, USA
  • Hans-Dieter Klenk , Marburg University, Germany
  • Jonathan Yewdell, Laboratory of Viral Diseases, NIAID, USA
  • Larisa Rudenko, Saint Petersburg Institute of Experimental Medicine, Russia
  • Ron Fouchier, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  • David Swayne, U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • Janet McElhaney, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Canada

This Evaluation Committee is currently assessing the submitted applications. The award winner will be announced on 1 February 2017.

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Download the Best Body of Work Application Form here

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ESWI launches the fourth edition of its Influenza Award for Young Scientists. The most promising body of work in flu research will be awarded a prize of €10,000 and an invitation to lecture at the Sixth ESWI Influenza Conference (Riga, 10-13 September 2017). The competition is open to all young scientists worldwide. Eligibility criteria are listed in this flyer. The Application Form is available here.

Global Influenza Summit

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A global influenza meeting was held in Chicago on 24 August 2016, with representation from the three different Summits – the ESWI Science Policy Flu Summit, the APACI Flu Summit, and the US National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit. The discussion, however, progressed into broader issues of mutual interest that could ultimately improve the control of influenza at the global level. Topics included the notion of harmonising global influenza recommendations (such as they relate to displaced populations, long sporting events, or Haj), improving surveillance, and establishing a Global Repository of Best Practices. It was agreed that there was enormous potential in pursing these objectives, and work will continue behind the scenes to keep the agenda moving.

Influenza and travel medicine: ESWI press release

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ESWI has issued a press release to highlight the fact that flu prevention deserves more attention in travel medicine. This press statement is released at the occasion of Dr. Marco Goeijenbier’s lecture at the Science Policy Flu Summit, to be held at the International Press Centre in Brussels on 28 September 2016. Download the press release here.

Influenza vaccine for international mass gatherings

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ESWI and its partner organization ISTM (International Society of Travel Medicine) are about to publish a review paper on influenza vaccination of travellers. The paper has been submitted for publication in the Journal of Travel Medicine. In the mean time, ISTM member Robert Steffen has published a Lancet paper that elaborates on the benefits of influenza vaccination for participants of mass gatherings. Read his article here

Key facts about flu vaccination for general practitioners

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A group of European experts, including ESWI member Ted van Essen, has now published an overview of key facts about influenza vaccination for general practitioners. The aim of their effort is to harmonise the diagnosis of seasonal influenza and the approach of European general practitioners to seasonal influenza vaccination in order to move towards reaching the target vaccination rate of 75% throughout Europe.

Interestingly, the paper is also published in a Word document so that European Countries (and any other country in the world) can easily re-use, translate or adapt the Key Facts and thus modify the document to their requirements.

Recent advances in the FLUNIVAC project

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FLUNIVAC aims to pave the way to the development of a universal influenza vaccine. ESWI is FLUNIVAC’s communication partner and has now prepared a brand new version of the FLUNIVAC newsletter, highlighting the project’s recent advances. The newsletter is available here. Feel free to disseminate the document to anyone you think might be interested.

Nurses and midwives to join the Influenza Coalition

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ESWI is delighted to announce that the European Forum of National Nursing and Midwifery Associations (EFNNMA) has joined the Influenza Coalition, ESWI’s cooperative partnership with organizations of healthcare professionals, the elderly and at-risk patients. We look forward to a fruitful collaboration with EFNNMA as we are convinced that nurses and midwives play a crucial role in protecting patients and pregnant women against the burden of influenza. After all, they are perfectly placed to provide tailored information based on the latest scientific evidence.