Control of influenza. Public health policies

The control and management of influenza are currently based on the surveillance, prevention and treatment of the disease. Almost all European countries have influenza immunization policies for populations considered as being at-risk, but there are large disagreements about the meaning of “risk”, and the levels of vaccine use vary greatly country by country. In the near future, new vaccines and specific anti-viral drugs will need to adapt and to extend current recommendations, but meanwhile increasing vaccination coverage, improving and up-dating national policies and their achievement are the only ways to reduce the recurrent burden of influenza epidemics for both individuals and society.