Control of influenza. Public health policies

The control and management of influenza are currently based on the surveill ance, prevention and treatment of the disease. Almost all European countrie s 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 fut ure, new vaccines and specific anti-viral drugs will need to adapt and to e xtend current recommendations, but meanwhile increasing vaccination coverag e, improving and up-dating national policies and their achievement are the only ways to reduce the recurrent burden of influenza epidemics for both in dividuals and society. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.