Ukraine has officially launched the season of enhanced epidemiological surveillance for influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI). According to official data from the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the large-scale monitoring period will last until May 23, 2027. Throughout this period, relevant agencies will round-the-clock monitor the morbidity dynamics among the population.
Two-tier epidemiological surveillance system
Epidemiological surveillance in the country operates on two interconnected levels. The first is routine surveillance, which covers absolutely all healthcare institutions. It allows for prompt recording of the number of citizens seeking medical assistance with ARVI symptoms, determining the geography of infection spread, and analyzing overall morbidity trends across regions.
The second level is sentinel surveillance, based on a specialized network of 34 healthcare facilities located in various regions of Ukraine. These reference clinics regularly collect biological samples to precisely determine which specific viruses are circulating in the country and to timely detect particular influenza strains. The current epidemic season marks the tenth anniversary of the continuous operation of the sentinel surveillance network for influenza and ARVI in the Ukrainian state.
Medical system readiness and wartime challenges
During the summer months and early autumn, experts conducted a large-scale check on the preparedness of domestic medical institutions and virological laboratories for the projected increase in workload. From July to September 2026, specialists from the Public Health Center, together with representatives of the World Health Organization, conducted a series of monitoring visits to sentinel network facilities, covering seven regions and the city of Kyiv, depending on the current security situation.
A special focus of the inspections was placed on the ability of the medical infrastructure to function under the extreme conditions of a full-scale war. Commissions evaluated hospitals' resilience to potential disruptions in centralized power supply, damage to infrastructure facilities, as well as logistical difficulties and staff challenges. Following the inspections, medical personnel underwent practical training on action algorithms in the event of critical epidemiological threats.
Contradictory data
Despite a well-structured monitoring system, expert circles and open sources periodically spark discussions regarding evaluation methodologies and the comparability of epidemiological data amidst ongoing infrastructure destruction. While official PHC reports emphasize the full staffing of the sentinel network and the effective application of the Moving Epidemic Method (MEM) to forecast outbreaks, independent analysts point to hidden risks of underreporting mild forms of illness due to population migration and changes in residential density across different regions of the country.
Significance for the global healthcare system
Data obtained by Ukrainian specialists play a crucial role not only at the national level but also internationally. The Public Health Center of Ukraine holds the official status of the National Influenza Center within the WHO global surveillance system. Collected information on circulating strains is regularly transmitted to international databases and used by leading global experts to annually determine the composition of influenza vaccines for the following year.
