Influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV and other respiratory viruses

Respiratory viruses such as influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV, and others pose significant public health challenges worldwide. The ��Ƶ (��Ƶ) is supporting its Member States to detect, monitor, prevent, and control these infections across the Americas.

This page serves as a comprehensive resource, offering up-to-date information, surveillance data, guidelines, and technical resources for the general public and to support healthcare professionals, policymakers, and researchers. It also describes how ��Ƶ collaborates with countries to strengthen their capacity to detect and respond to respiratory virus outbreaks, protecting the health of communities across the region.

��Ƶ Response

The organization supports countries in the surveillance, prevention, preparedness, and control of pandemic & epidemic-prone diseases through the development of evidence-based strategies to predict, prevent, detect, and respond to infectious hazards. It also ensures regional surveillance functions related to these hazards.

Major Action Lines:

Pandemic & epidemic-prone diseases: Influenza, MERS, hemorrhagic fevers and hantavirus, yellow fever & emerging arboviruses, plague, cholera & epidemic-prone diarrheal diseases, leptospirosis, meningococcal disease.
Expert networks and interventions for surveillance and response: epidemiology and modeling, laboratory, clinical management, and infection prevention & control.

Technical Guidance documents

(Only available in Spanish)

Surveillance

Laboratory

Clinical management

Prevention and control

Animal-human interface

Pandemic Preparedness Plan (PPP)

Response to Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in the Americas: Lessons and Challenges (2010)

COVID-19 Genomic Surveillance Regional Network

Videos on the Proper use of PPE, Sample Collection, and Specimen Packaging

COVID-19
Vaccines

Influenza
Vaccine

Influenza, an Unpredictable Threat

Because of the nature of the virus and its threat, the World Health Organization carries out global surveillance of this disease throughout the year, calling on thousands of scientists worldwide. Their exchange of scientific information and virus materials helps to determine which viruses will most probably represent the major threat during the next influenza season, and thus allows twice a year to decide about the composition of the next vaccines.

Vaccination is the most effective intervention to reduce the mortality and morbidity of influenza, seasonal influenza epidemics and unpredictable next pandemic. To be prepared for the risk of a pandemic, which can hit anytime, concerted efforts from all public health professionals remain crucial to match the dimensions of such a global public health threat.