ECDC Publishes New Guidance for Integrated Respiratory Virus Surveillance in EU/EEA

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published new guidance on respiratory virus surveillance for the EU/EEA on 20 July 2026. The document aims to help countries detect changes in virus circulation earlier and build a clearer picture of respiratory disease trends to support timely and effective public health action, according to an ECDC news release (ecdc.europa.eu).

Titled “Integrated respiratory virus surveillance guidance for the EU/EEA: A framework for surveillance to inform public health action” (Version 1.0), the main module forms part of a suite of documents. It provides guidance for the routine surveillance of respiratory viruses including influenza viruses, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), as detailed on the ECDC publications page (ecdc.europa.eu).

The guidance sets out practical surveillance objectives, outlines the epidemiological and virological systems needed to meet them, and explains how comparable surveillance data can support national and EU-level prevention and control measures for acute respiratory illness. It has been designed as a modular tool to enable faster publication, easier updates and greater flexibility as surveillance needs evolve. Additional modules will be added as they are finalised later in 2026 and during 2027, with two planned modules covering ‘right-sizing’ of epidemiological and genomic surveillance and the use of thresholds for surveillance data. Future editions may also address areas such as wastewater surveillance and electronic health records (ecdc.europa.eu).

Development was informed by a working group of members of the European Respiratory Viruses Network (ERVI-NET). The guidance supports fulfilment of EU legislation on coordinated surveillance, early warning and response. It focuses on routine indicator- and event-based surveillance. While not specifically targeting zoonotic influenza or overall pandemic preparedness, its implementation is expected to strengthen both areas (ecdc.europa.eu).

Three overarching objectives guide the framework: first, monitor epidemiological characteristics in time, person and place of acute respiratory illness due to influenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2, RSV and other respiratory pathogens to detect changes that can inform prevention and control measures; second, monitor virological changes and characteristics of circulating and emerging viruses to detect changes informing measures; and third, assess the burden of disease and the effectiveness and impact of interventions (ecdc.europa.eu).

Core surveillance systems prioritised for routine monitoring and virus characterisation include surveillance in primary care and hospitals (using influenza-like illness/ILI, acute respiratory infection/ARI and severe acute respiratory infection/SARI syndromic definitions with integrated virological testing), laboratory-based surveillance, virus characterisation (including genomic) and event-based surveillance. Hospital-based SARI surveillance is highlighted as central to understanding severity. Supplementary systems such as mortality monitoring, outbreak monitoring in specific settings, wastewater-based and participatory surveillance can address gaps. Complementary sources outside routine surveillance teams include hospital occupancy, vaccine coverage and pharmaceutical usage data.

The guidance stresses maintaining year-round capacity for signal detection, impact monitoring and virus characterisation, noting that SARS-CoV-2 has not become strictly seasonal and out-of-season epidemics of RSV and influenza can occur. National or sub-national authorities are encouraged to map available data sources, prioritise high-quality timely systems, and periodically review the mix of systems in light of resources, technologies and electronic health data expansion. Quality assurance involves routine monitoring, periodic evaluation, preparedness planning and collaboration (ecdc.europa.eu).

By providing a common framework while allowing adaptation to national contexts, the guidance seeks to strengthen preparedness, situational awareness and public health decision-making across Europe, as stated by ECDC (ecdc.europa.eu). An overview was also carried by specialist outlet INSIGHT EU MONITORING (ieu-monitoring.com).