Not just a cold

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. Influenza viruses cause regular epidemics of flu (seasonal flu). They occasionally cause pandemics such as the 2009 Mexican flu. Flu symptoms resemble those of an innocent cold: chills, sudden onset of high fever, headache, a sore throat, cough, runny nose, muscle pain and exhaustion. However, a flu will easily wipe you out for a week, whereas a cold usually disappears within a few days.

Death toll

An influenza infection can have very serious consequences in the elderly and frail. “Flu is a nasty disease”, says Ronald Smallenburg, business director of the company that coordinates the Influenzanet project. “The virus mutates rapidly, so vaccine production is constantly lagging behind. The sooner flu is detected, the sooner it can be battled.”

Flu survey

In 2003, Ronald Smallenburg and Carl Koppeschaar initiated flu monitoring in The Netherlands and Belgium using an online surveillance system. Financial support from the European Union enabled them to start the Influenzanet project, expanding the surveillance system to other European countries and inspiring partners in the Americas. More than 40,000 Europeans participated in the 2012 flu survey. This number is expected to grow in 2013. Participants are asked to report any flu-like symptoms each week during flu season. The results are analysed daily by a team of excellent mathematicians, epidemiologists and medical doctors.

Added value

Influenzanet obtains its data directly from the population. The 2009 Mexican flu epidemic clearly illustrated the added value of this approach. “At that time, there was lots of commotion: people did not trust the Mexican flu vaccine. People that did receive the vaccine could report side-effects on our website. We rapidly obtained more than 13,000 reactions!”, says Carl Koppeschaar in the Dutch newspaper ‘The Volkskrant’. Registration of side-effects using traditional (postal mail) methods only yielded a few thousand reports in the same period. Koppeschaar: “People are used to rapid communication via the internet”. Smallenburg: “We hope that the flu survey will help us understand this dangerous viral disease better. By doing so, participants not only increase their own medical knowledge but also they help to improve disease surveillance systems, as true citizen scientists.”

Want to participate?

The 2013 flu survey will start 1 November 2013. Residents of Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK can participate. In return, you will receive a weekly update of your health status and information about flu, vaccination, etc. You can enrol through these local websites:

De Grote Griepmeting Nederland

De Grote Griepmeting België

Influmeter Denmark

Grippenet France

Flusurvey Ireland

Flusurvey United Kingdom

Gripenet Portugal

Gripenet Spain

Influensakoll Sweden

Influweb Italy

Related projects and articles

Read more about European influenza research on www.HorizonHealth.eu’s project pages FLUPHARM and EMPERIE.