BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 METHOD:PUBLISH PRODID:-//Telerik Inc.//Sitefinity CMS 15.2//EN BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:A decade of Pandemic Influenza Preparedness in the WHO&rsquo\;s South East Asia region (SEAR) helped Member States (MS) to strengthen nat ional influenza surveillance systems and virus detection capacity. However \, the overwhelmed health systems due to the COVID-19 pandemic have negati vely affected Influenza surveillance\, laboratory diagnosis and virus shar ing with WHO Collaborating Centres. \;Considering the disruptions to n ational influenza sentinel surveillance and the missed opportunity of usin g synergies of influenza and COVID-19 surveillance in the context of the C OVID pandemic\, WHO&rsquo\;s Global Influenza programme (GIP) developed an interim guidance on maintaining surveillance of influenza and monitoring SARS-CoV-2 by adapting national influenza sentinel surveillance systems du ring the COVID-19 pandemic. \; In order to \; stimulate countries to \; effectively and timely adapt and \; implement recommendation s in the above guidance\, \; \; the \; Health Emergency Depart ment at the Regional Office of the WHO &lsquo\;s South East Asia region (S EARO) \; organized \; a virtual &ldquo\;Regional meeting on \; implementation of \; WHO guidance on \; maintaining influenza sur veillance and monitoring SARSCoV-2 through national \; sentinel \; surveillance systems \; during the COVID-19 pandemic in SEAR Member S tates&rdquo\; on \; 13-14 January 2021 \nThe objective of the meeting was to consult SEAR Member States and agree on a plan for implementation o f the WHO interim guidance on maintaining sentinel surveillance of influen za and using influenza sentinel surveillance systems for monitoring SARSCo V-2 through national sentinel surveillance systems in the context of the C OVID-19 pandemic. \nThe meeting was attended by participants from the Nati onal Influenza Programmes of SEAR Member States\, WHO Collaborating Centre at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL)\, repre sentatives from the Global Influenza Programme (GIP) and Thailand and Indi a offices of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC). \nAmong the set of recommendations on surveillance\, data sharin g and laboratory diagnosis\, following were noteworthy: \nMS experiencing disruptions to sentinel surveillance were recommended (a) to address speci fic disruptions\, reexamine priority influenza surveillance objectives and continue surveillance or (b) prioritize sentinel surveillance sites based on available capacity/resources for continuing /maintaining surveillance in these prioritized sites in accordance with defined objectives. The docu mentation of changes to surveillance was requested to aid in interpretatio n of data. \; \nFor MS that cannot collect weekly minimum of 100 sampl es for influenza through the national ILI/SARI sentinel surveillance syste m\, it was recommended to test COVID 19 negative samples compatible with e xisting ILI/SARI case definitions to make up the recommend minimum \;& nbsp\; \nConsidering the overwhelmed laboratories and lack of human resour ces for testing\, all MS were encouraged to consider using Multiplex kits for testing both Influenza and SARS CoV-2\, preferably using the WHO recom mended algorithm. \; \nMS were recommended to plan for shipping select ed Influenza viruses (even if it is one or few) to WHO CC by January 31\, 2021 for the February 2021 and by August 15\, 2021 for the September 2021 in order to be ready for Vaccine Composition Meetings for Southern and Nor thern hemisphere influenza seasons DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210115 DTSTAMP:20260419T214338Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210113 LOCATION: SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Regional meeting on implementation of WHO guidance on maintaining i nfluenza surveillance and monitoring SARSCoV-2 through national sentinel s urveillance systems during the COVID-19 pandemic in SEAR Member States UID:RFCALITEM639122318184176323 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

A decade of Pandemic Influenza Preparedness in the WHO&rsquo\;s South East Asia region (SEAR) helped Member States (M S) to strengthen national influenza surveillance systems and virus detecti on capacity. However\, the overwhelmed health systems due to the COVID-19 pandemic have negatively affected Influenza surveillance\, laboratory diag nosis and virus sharing with WHO Collaborating Centres. \;

Regional Meeting 13-14 Jan 21_1

Considering the disruptio ns to national influenza sentinel surveillance and the missed opportunity of using synergies of influenza and COVID-19 surveillance in the context o f the COVID pandemic\, WHO&rsquo\;s Global Influenza programme (GIP) devel oped an interim guidance on maintaining surveillance of influenza and moni toring SARS-CoV-2 by adapting national influenza sentinel surveillance sys tems during the COVID-19 pandemic. \; In order to \; stimulate cou ntries to \; effectively and timely adapt and \; implement recomme ndations in the above guidance\, \; \; the \; Health Emergency Department at the Regional Office of the WHO &lsquo\;s South East Asia re gion (SEARO) \; organized \; a virtual &ldquo\;Regional meeting on  \; implementation of \; WHO guidance on \; maintaining influe nza surveillance and monitoring SARSCoV-2 through national \; sentinel  \; surveillance systems \; during the COVID-19 pandemic in SEAR M ember States&rdquo\; on \; 13-14 January 2021

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The objective o f the meeting was to consult SEAR Member States and agree on a plan for im plementation of the WHO interim guidance on maintaining sentinel surveilla nce of influenza and using influenza sentinel surveillance systems for mon itoring SARSCoV-2 through national sentinel surveillance systems in the co ntext of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The meeting was attended by parti cipants from the National Influenza Programmes of SEAR Member States\, WHO Collaborating Centre at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Labor atory (VIDRL)\, representatives from the Global Influenza Programme (GIP) and Thailand and India offices of the United States Centers for Disease Co ntrol and Prevention (US CDC).

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Among the set of recommendations o n surveillance\, data sharing and laboratory diagnosis\, following were no teworthy:

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MS experiencing disruptions to sentinel surveillance we re recommended (a) to address specific disruptions\, reexamine priority in fluenza surveillance objectives and continue surveillance or (b) prioritiz e sentinel surveillance sites based on available capacity/resources for co ntinuing /maintaining surveillance in these prioritized sites in accordanc e with defined objectives. The documentation of changes to surveillance wa s requested to aid in interpretation of data. \;

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For MS that cannot collect weekly minimum of 100 samples for influenza through the nat ional ILI/SARI sentinel surveillance system\, it was recommended to test C OVID 19 negative samples compatible with existing ILI/SARI case definition s to make up the recommend minimum \; \;

\n

Considering the overwhelmed laboratories and lack of human resources for testing\, all MS were encouraged to consider using Multiplex kits for testing both Influenz a and SARS CoV-2\, preferably using the WHO recommended algorithm. \;

\n

MS were recommended to plan for shipping selected Influenza virus es (even if it is one or few) to WHO CC by January 31\, 2021 for the Febru ary 2021 and by August 15\, 2021 for the September 2021 in order to be rea dy for Vaccine Composition Meetings for Southern and Northern hemisphere i nfluenza seasons

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