TY - JOUR T1 - Influenza news from the frontline: what's happening? JF - ERJ Open Research JO - erjor DO - 10.1183/23120541.00020-2018 VL - 4 IS - 1 SP - 00020-2018 AU - Anita K. Simonds Y1 - 2018/01/01 UR - http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/4/1/00020-2018.abstract N2 - Throughout December 2017 and January/February 2018, there have been widespread alarming media reports of escalating cases of seasonal influenza. Yet, the European Union research initiative PREPARE (the Platform for Preparedness Against (Re-)Emerging Epidemics), which monitors the response to outbreaks, reports that the current influenza threat to Europe is limited and concludes that based on available information, there is no evidence for an overall increase in severity in this flu season compared to previous years [5]. Is that the case globally, and how can we reconcile these views, including the personal experiences of frontline respiratory teams managing high numbers of cases?Chief Editor Anita Simonds explains what's happening on the frontline of the flu season http://ow.ly/fBW630iiYC5 ER -