Flu Shots Suggested Before Visiting Europe

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recently published an influenza update for week #14, indicating flu positivity was about 15%.

Announced on April 14, 2023, the ECDC confirmed of the 41 countries and areas reporting data on influenza viruses:

• 3 reported no activity (Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan),
• 9 reported sporadic spread (eastern, northern, and southern Region),
• 5 reported local spread (France, Malta, Serbia, Slovakia and Kosovo,
• 8 reported regional spread (Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Lithuania, Republic of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine, and,
• 16 reported widespread activity (across the Region).

The ECDC added seasonal influenza is a vaccine-preventable disease that annually infects over 10% of Europe's population.

When planning a European visit, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests discussing flu shot options with a healthcare provider.