Influenza Update N° 489

Overview

^{Published 22 August 2024 | For reporting Week 32, ending 11 August 2024}

Influenza

• In the Northern hemisphere, influenza activity in temperate countries remained at interepidemic levels. Activity was elevated in countries in Central America and the Caribbean, Middle Africa, Western Africa, Southern Asia, and South East Asia. Influenza A(H3N2) viruses predominated except in Southern Asia where A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses predominated. Activity increased in countries in Western Africa, Southern Asia, and South East Asia.
• In the Southern hemisphere, influenza activity remained elevated in countries in South America (due to influenza A(H3N2) and B viruses), Eastern Africa (due to A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses), Southern Africa (due to B viruses), and Oceania (due to A(H3N2) viruses). Activity increased in countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.
  

SARS-CoV-2

• SARS-CoV-2 activity, reported from sentinel surveillance in 62 countries, was elevated in many countries across the Northern hemisphere. Increasing activity was reported in countries in Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Eastern Asia and Central America and the Caribbean. Similar or declining activity was reported in Northern and South West Europe.

WHO encourages countries, especially those that have received the multiplex influenza and SARS-CoV-2 reagent kits from GISRS, to conduct integrated surveillance of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 and report epidemiological and laboratory information in a timely manner to established regional and global platforms. The guidance can be found here https://covid.comesa.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-integrated_sentinel_surveillance-2022.1.