European RSV Surveillance Bulletin

During the PROMISE Project, a Fortnightly Electronic Bulletin on RSV activity in the European Union and neighbouring countries was created to make data easily accessible by all stakeholders.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections and hospitalizations, especially among young children and older adults. Monitoring RSV on a European level is currently limited. A WHO Euro-ECDC integrated Respiratory Bulletin, covering SARS-CoV-2, influenza and RSV, is being developed for the 2023/24 winter. To enhance RSV surveillance, National Public Health Institutes (NPHI) in the EU/EEA were invited to participate in the PROMISE European RSV Surveillance Bulletin and to provide weekly RSV surveillance data and input. The PROMISE European RSV Surveillance Bulletin will enable (national) public health institutes and other stakeholders to monitor RSV in a real-time manner. During the winter of 2023/24 the PROMISE European RSV surveillance Bulletin will be published bi-weekly.

The aim of the PROMISE RSV surveillance Bulletin is to evaluate which specific parameters and outputs are best practice for adequate monitoring and reporting of RSV. These experiences and expertise will be transferred to WHO Euro and the ECDC for consideration in the new integrated respiratory surveillance bulletin, covering influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV (planned to be published for 2023/24 season. Importantly, all of the PROMISE work related to the RSV surveillance Bulletin has been planned and coordinated with input from ECDC and WHO Europe to enable a smooth handover at the end of the project.