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EuroFlu - Weekly Electronic Bulletin - Week 19 : 07/05/2012-13/05/2012 - 18 May 2012, Issue N? 446 (edited)
[Source: EuroFlu, full page: (LINK). Extracts, edited.]
EuroFlu - Weekly Electronic Bulletin - Week 19 : 07/05/2012-13/05/2012 - 18 May 2012, Issue N? 446
Influenza activity in Europe approaching out-of-season levels
Current situation: week 19/2012
Outpatient surveillance for ILI and ARI
37 countries reported on trends in clinical activity: 18 stable; 6 increasing and 13 decreasing.
Of the 37 countries reporting on the geographical spread of influenza: 16 reported no activity; 17, sporadic activity; 2, local activity; 1, regional activity; and 1, widespread activity.
Intensity was reported as medium by 1 country in the Region and low by 36.
During week 19/2012 sentinel outpatient clinics collected 194 respiratory specimens, of which 21 (11%) tested positive for influenza viruses: slightly fewer than last week.
Of these positive specimens, 7 (33%) were influenza type A and 14 (67%) were influenza B (Table 1, Fig. 1).
In the 4 countries testing 20 or more sentinel specimens, influenza positivity ranged from 0% to 24%, with a median of 5% (mean: 9%).
Hospital surveillance for SARI
10 countries reported data from hospital-based sentinel surveillance of SARI: Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation, Serbia and Ukraine.
61 respiratory specimens were collected from SARI patients, of which 5 (8%) were positive for influenza: 3 were type A and 2 were type B.
1 influenza A virus was subtyped as A(H1N1)pdm09 and 2 - as A(H3). (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 19/2012, 36 countries reported a dominant virus based on both sentinel and non-sentinel detections.
5 countries reported influenza A and/or A(H3N2) as the dominant virus: 1 reported influenza B and 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]
Of the influenza A viruses, 71 were subtyped: 68 (96%) as A(H3N2) and 3 (4%) as A(H1N1)pdm09.
Since week 40/2011, 42644 influenza viruses from sentinel and non-sentinel sources have been typed: 38802 (91%) were influenza A and 3842(9%) were influenza B.
Of the influenza A viruses, 21110 were subtyped: 20255 (96%) as A (H3N2) and 855 (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, 18 countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the United Kingdom (England), France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland) have characterized 1966 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 1254 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.
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EuroFlu - Weekly Electronic Bulletin - Week 19 : 07/05/2012-13/05/2012 - 18 May 2012, Issue N? 446
Influenza activity in Europe approaching out-of-season levels
Current situation: week 19/2012
- This issue is based on data for week 19/2012 reported by 43 Member States in the WHO European Region.
- Consultation rates for influenza-like illness (ILI) and acute respiratory infection (ARI) are approaching out-of-season levels in most of the countries in the Region.
- The number of specimens tested, as well as the percentage of influenza-positive cases, continues to decline but the positive cases show a higher prevalence of influenza B viruses.
- The number of hospitalizations due to severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) is relatively stable with a slight increase in influenza-positivity rate .
- No resistance to neuraminidase inhibitors among influenza viruses was detected
Outpatient surveillance for ILI and ARI
37 countries reported on trends in clinical activity: 18 stable; 6 increasing and 13 decreasing.
Of the 37 countries reporting on the geographical spread of influenza: 16 reported no activity; 17, sporadic activity; 2, local activity; 1, regional activity; and 1, widespread activity.
Intensity was reported as medium by 1 country in the Region and low by 36.
During week 19/2012 sentinel outpatient clinics collected 194 respiratory specimens, of which 21 (11%) tested positive for influenza viruses: slightly fewer than last week.
Of these positive specimens, 7 (33%) were influenza type A and 14 (67%) were influenza B (Table 1, Fig. 1).
In the 4 countries testing 20 or more sentinel specimens, influenza positivity ranged from 0% to 24%, with a median of 5% (mean: 9%).
Hospital surveillance for SARI
10 countries reported data from hospital-based sentinel surveillance of SARI: Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation, Serbia and Ukraine.
61 respiratory specimens were collected from SARI patients, of which 5 (8%) were positive for influenza: 3 were type A and 2 were type B.
1 influenza A virus was subtyped as A(H1N1)pdm09 and 2 - as A(H3). (Fig. 2).
Virological overview
During week 19/2012, 36 countries reported a dominant virus based on both sentinel and non-sentinel detections.
5 countries reported influenza A and/or A(H3N2) as the dominant virus: 1 reported influenza B and 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 ? 194 - 61 - 35817 - 4326
- Influenza A + B - 21 (10.8%) - 5 (8.2%) - 10870 (30.4%) - 686 (15.9%)
- Influenza A - 7 (33.3%) - 3 (60.0%) - 9494 (87.3%) - 647 (94.3%)
- Influenza B - 14 (66.7%) - 2 (40.0%) - 1376 (12.7%) - 39 (5.7%)
- Influenza A subtyped - 7 - 3 - 8556 - 613
- A (H1N1)pdm09 ? 0 (0.0%) - 1 (33.3%) - 173 (2.0%) - 64 (10.4%)
- A (H3N2) - 7 (100.0%) - 2 (66.7%) - 8383 (98.0%) - 549 (89.6%)
- A (H1N1) - 0 (0.0%) - 0 (0.0%) - 0 (0.0%) - 0 (0.0%)
Of the influenza A viruses, 71 were subtyped: 68 (96%) as A(H3N2) and 3 (4%) as A(H1N1)pdm09.
Since week 40/2011, 42644 influenza viruses from sentinel and non-sentinel sources have been typed: 38802 (91%) were influenza A and 3842(9%) were influenza B.
Of the influenza A viruses, 21110 were subtyped: 20255 (96%) as A (H3N2) and 855 (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, 18 countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the United Kingdom (England), France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland) have characterized 1966 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 1254 influenza viruses genetically (Fig. 4).
* 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.
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