The Bi Regional WPRO SEARO meeting of influenza surveillance and National Influenza Centres (NICs) serves as the main policy and strategic forum for guiding pandemic influenza preparedness in WHO’s South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions. Usually an annual event, the meeting was cancelled last year because of COVID-19. This year, participants—including NICs, WHO regional and country offices, WHO Collaborating Centres and partners—attended the meeting virtually.
From 17–19 August 2021, participants considered the obstacles and opportunities for preparedness and response to seasonal, zoonotic and pandemic influenza threats in the context of COVID-19. They reviewed trends in regional influenza activity observed between January 2020 and August 2021, including co-circulation patterns with SARS-CoV-2. They shared challenges in carrying out influenza surveillance (epidemiologic and virologic) in the context of COVID-19; and considered options for strengthening systems based on lessons learned.
In one breakout session participants emphasized the need to integrate sentinel surveillance for influenza and SARS-CoV-2 in line with WHO’s interim guidance. They discussed ways of leveraging influenza sentinel systems and NICs to monitor other respiratory viruses in the context of developing GISRS+ concept.
In another session, participants shared their experiences of pandemic vaccine deployment planning and implementation (including readiness assessment) for COVID-19; and considered how these could be used to shape future vaccine deployments for pandemic influenza.
The meeting concluded with a call for countries to refocus on influenza surveillance fundamentals. COVID-19 sentinel surveillance should be integrated where possible; but the emphasis must be on ensuring continuing and consistent surveillance of influenza. To that end, participants issued a comprehensive set of recommendations to countries and WHO on influenza surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, data management, zoonotic influenza and pandemic influenza preparedness.