As part of work to strengthen potential in the field of influenza diagnosis and epidemic surveillance in the WHO European Region, the World Health Organization conducted the annual training for laboratory staff on influenza virology in St Petersburg, reports the site WHO.

 The aim was to provide specialists with comprehensive skills to culture and characterize the antigenic profiles of circulating strains of human influenza virus. The course was given at the Research Institute of Influenza of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, a WHO-recognized national influenza centre. Participants from national influenza laboratories in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova and Uzbekistan attended.

The topics addressed during the week-long course were: collection, storage and transport of specimens, the isolation of viruses in cell culture and the identification of the haemagglutinin subtypes of viral isolates by hemagglutination-inhibition testing. The programme was consisted of lectures and practical sessions with hands-on training.