The UK Health Security Agency has launched a new dashboard to compile all infectious disease and outbreak data ahead of winter.
The government aims to build on the success of the Covid-19 dashboard which was established during the height of the pandemic.
The new repository will comprise the latest information on a range of respiratory diseases, including:
- Covid-19
- Influenza
- Respiratory syncytial virus
- Adenovirus
- Human metapneumovirus
- Parainfluenza
- Rhinovirus
The high levels of influenza and various infectious disease outbreaks observed last winter alerted UKHSA to the need for centralised data on other health threats, not just Covid-19.
UKHSA’s director general of data, analytics and surveillance, Professor Steven Riley, said: “While our new dashboard will initially focus on respiratory diseases, we will look to expand the information we publish constantly, and we would therefore appreciate your feedback on what you would like to see going forward.”
He continued: “The winter of 2022 to 2023 highlighted the impact that dual threats such as COVID-19 and influenza can have, and so it’s vital that we make our surveillance data accessible.”
The news comes shortly after the UKHSA announced the next stage of the flagship SIREN study – SIREN 2.0 will see researchers continue to assess the impact of respiratory diseases on NHS workers.
Additional Covid-19 surveillance this winter will also mean UKHSA can track the new BA.2.86 variant, which will be fed into the new dashboard. The details of this extra surveillance will be announced shortly, according to the government.
The Covid-19 dashboard will soon be decommissioned but should be considered the current data source for Covid-19, while it is still operational.
To access the new dashboard, click here.
Image credit: iStock
