What is the National Influenza Center of Valladolid?

The Nacional Influenza Center of Valladolid is part of a network that the WHO has throughout the world. In Spain it is complemented by the activity of the existing one in Barcelona and the one in Majadahonda (Madrid). These are centers that monitor the cirulation of influenza viruses in the population when there is influenza activity and that report or communicate their findings to the viral  diseases unit that the WHO has in Europe.

What is the work of the National Influenza Center of Valladolid?

NIC Valladolid has a mixed activity. Through it, monitoring is received from the entire network of sentinel doctors, so, clinical samples to precess in order to identify influenza viruses. Thus, in a complementary way, the Clinician himself provides support, from his virology section, to what is the diagnostic activity in influenza and other respiratory viruses in different hospitals in our Community.

What does the Valladolid National Influenza Center investigate?

The research work arises from the care activity itself.

Our group has an applied research activity and is configured in three main lines. 

-Biologically, genetically and serologically characterize the viruses.

-Monitor the immune response of the human being against the vaccines that are applied

-Carries out unique studies in the country on serological archeology to delimit the imprint that the first infections of influenza viruses make in people.

Do you work with some more viruses a part from the flu? 

With the Covid 19 emergency, the WHO, through the surveillance network, understands that the Influenza centers are an excellent instrument to test diagnostic methods.

When a patient goes to the doctor requesting attention, what he manifests is a series of symptoms and clinical signs that date from the history or that the doctor can objectify, but the etiological identification, the specificity of the diagnosis is given by microbiologists who can make an etiological diagnosis; In this sense, we, as the Flu center, are interested, not in other respiratory viruses, but in any pathogen that can affect the respiratory tree, whatever its origin.