Tweet
EuroFlu - Weekly Electronic Bulletin - Week 18 : 30/04/2012-06/05/2012 - 11 May 2012, Issue N? 445 (edited)
[Source: EuroFlu, full page: (LINK). Extracts, edited.]
EuroFlu - Weekly Electronic Bulletin - Week 18 : 30/04/2012-06/05/2012 - 11 May 2012, Issue N? 445
Influenza season ending in the WHO European Region
Current situation: week 18/2012
Outpatient surveillance for ILI and ARI
40 countries reported on trends in clinical activity: 16 were stable, 1 increasing and 23 decreasing.
Of the 40 countries reporting on the geographical spread of influenza, 15 reported no activity; 21, sporadic activity; 2, local activity and 2, widespread activity.
All countries reported low influenza activity, except Slovakia, which reported medium activity.
During week 18/2012 sentinel outpatient clinics collected 218 respiratory specimens, of which 31 (14%) tested positive for influenza viruses, a decrease from the previous week.
Of the positive specimens, 15 (48%) were influenza type A and 16 (52%) were influenza B (Table 1, Fig. 1).
In the 4 countries testing 20 or more sentinel specimens, influenza positivity ranged from 5% to 23%, with a median of 12% (mean: 13%).
Hospital surveillance for SARI
8 countries reported data for hospital-based sentinel surveillance of SARI: Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Serbia.
17 respiratory specimens were collected from SARI patients, none of which tested positive for influenza virus. (Fig. 2).
Further information on the sentinel SARI surveillance systems represented in the EuroFlu bulletin can be found in ?Overview of sentinel SARI systems in EuroFlu?.
Virological overview
During week 18/2012, 35 countries reported on whether there was a dominant virus, based on both sentinel and non-sentinel detections. 5 countries reported influenza A and/or A(H3N2) as the dominant virus. 30 countries reported that no virus was dominant.
Influenza virus type and subtype detections
Table 1 provides an overview of the influenza virus detections by type and subtype in sentinel ILI/ARI and SARI surveillance for both the current week and the period since week 40/2011.
Table 1. Influenza virus detections in sentinel specimens
[Specimens tested and viruses - Current week (number and %): ILI/ARI ? SARI - Cumulative since week 40 (number and %): ILI/ARI ? SARI]
During week 18/2012, 189 specimens from non-sentinel sources were reported positive for influenza: 145 (77%) type A and 44 (23%) type B.
Of the influenza A viruses, 27 were subtyped: 25 (93%) as A(H3N2) and 2 (7%) as A(H1N1)pdm09.
Since week 40/2011, 42 193 influenza viruses from sentinel and non-sentinel sources have been typed: 38 458 (91%) were influenza A and 3735 (9%) were influenza B.
Of the influenza A viruses, 20 834 were subtyped: 19 985 (96%) as A (H3N2) and 849 (4%) as A(H1N1)pdm09.
Virus strain characterizations
Influenza viruses are monitored each season for antigenic and genetic characteristics, to determine the extent to which they correspond with the viruses included in the seasonal influenza vaccine as well as the occurrence of mutations that affect pathogenicity or that are associated with susceptibility to antiviral drugs.
Since week 40/2011, 17 countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the United Kingdom (England), France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland) have characterized 1931 influenza viruses antigenically (Fig. 3).
17 countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland) have characterized 1147 influenza viruses genetically (Fig. 4).
# Included in the WHO-recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2011/2012 northern hemisphere influenza season.
* Included in the WHO-recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2012 southern hemisphere influenza season.
Further information
The EuroFlu bulletin describes and comments on influenza activity in the 53 countries in the WHO European Region. Further information can be obtained from the WHO/Europe, WHO headquarters and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control web sites.
(?)
-
------
EuroFlu - Weekly Electronic Bulletin - Week 18 : 30/04/2012-06/05/2012 - 11 May 2012, Issue N? 445
Influenza season ending in the WHO European Region
Current situation: week 18/2012
- This issue is based on data for week 18/2012 reported by 41 Member States in the WHO European Region.
- Clinical consultation rates for influenza-like illness (ILI) and acute respiratory infection (ARI) have returned to low activity levels in almost all the countries in the Region.
- The number of hospitalizations due to severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) is decreasing, and none of the cases reported this week was associated with laboratory-confirmed influenza.
- Both the total number of influenza virus detections and the percentage of influenza-positive detections are decreasing
- Influenza B viruses accounted for 50% of the sentinel positive specimens collected in week 18/2012. Since the start of the season, most viruses detected have been influenza A(H3N2), followed by influenza B, with relatively few A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses reported
- None of the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) or B viruses screened by 10 countries for susceptibility to neuraminidase inhibitors was found to be resistant
Outpatient surveillance for ILI and ARI
40 countries reported on trends in clinical activity: 16 were stable, 1 increasing and 23 decreasing.
Of the 40 countries reporting on the geographical spread of influenza, 15 reported no activity; 21, sporadic activity; 2, local activity and 2, widespread activity.
All countries reported low influenza activity, except Slovakia, which reported medium activity.
During week 18/2012 sentinel outpatient clinics collected 218 respiratory specimens, of which 31 (14%) tested positive for influenza viruses, a decrease from the previous week.
Of the positive specimens, 15 (48%) were influenza type A and 16 (52%) were influenza B (Table 1, Fig. 1).
In the 4 countries testing 20 or more sentinel specimens, influenza positivity ranged from 5% to 23%, with a median of 12% (mean: 13%).
Hospital surveillance for SARI
8 countries reported data for hospital-based sentinel surveillance of SARI: Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Serbia.
17 respiratory specimens were collected from SARI patients, none of which tested positive for influenza virus. (Fig. 2).
Virological overview
During week 18/2012, 35 countries reported on whether there was a dominant virus, based on both sentinel and non-sentinel detections. 5 countries reported influenza A and/or A(H3N2) as the dominant virus. 30 countries reported that no virus was dominant.
Influenza virus type and subtype detections
Table 1 provides an overview of the influenza virus detections by type and subtype in sentinel ILI/ARI and SARI surveillance for both the current week and the period since week 40/2011.
Table 1. Influenza virus detections in sentinel specimens
[Specimens tested and viruses - Current week (number and %): ILI/ARI ? SARI - Cumulative since week 40 (number and %): ILI/ARI ? SARI]
- Specimens tested ? 218 - 17 - 35529 - 4135
- Influenza A + B - 31 (14.2%) - 0 (0.0%) - 10839 (30.5%) - 641 (15.5%)
- Influenza A - 15 (48.4%) - 0 (0.0%) - 9477 (87.4%) - 604 (94.2%)
- Influenza B - 16 (51.6%) - 0 (0.0%) - 1362 (12.6%) - 37 (5.8%)
- Influenza A subtyped ? 12 - 0 - 8539 - 571
- A (H1N1)pdm09 - 0 (0.0%) - 0 (0.0%) - 173 (2.0%) - 64 (11.2%)
- A (H3N2) - 12 (100.0%) - 0 (0.0%) - 8366 (98.0%) - 507 (88.8%)
A (H1N1) - 0 (0.0%) - 0 (0.0%) - 0 (0.0%) - 0 (0.0%)
During week 18/2012, 189 specimens from non-sentinel sources were reported positive for influenza: 145 (77%) type A and 44 (23%) type B. Of the influenza A viruses, 27 were subtyped: 25 (93%) as A(H3N2) and 2 (7%) as A(H1N1)pdm09.
Since week 40/2011, 42 193 influenza viruses from sentinel and non-sentinel sources have been typed: 38 458 (91%) were influenza A and 3735 (9%) were influenza B.
Of the influenza A viruses, 20 834 were subtyped: 19 985 (96%) as A (H3N2) and 849 (4%) as A(H1N1)pdm09.
Virus strain characterizations
Influenza viruses are monitored each season for antigenic and genetic characteristics, to determine the extent to which they correspond with the viruses included in the seasonal influenza vaccine as well as the occurrence of mutations that affect pathogenicity or that are associated with susceptibility to antiviral drugs.
Since week 40/2011, 17 countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the United Kingdom (England), France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland) have characterized 1931 influenza viruses antigenically (Fig. 3).
17 countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland) have characterized 1147 influenza viruses genetically (Fig. 4).
# Included in the WHO-recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2011/2012 northern hemisphere influenza season.
* Included in the WHO-recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2012 southern hemisphere influenza season.
Further information
The EuroFlu bulletin describes and comments on influenza activity in the 53 countries in the WHO European Region. Further information can be obtained from the WHO/Europe, WHO headquarters and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control web sites.
(?)
-
------