Influenza Update N° 491

Overview

^{Published 4 September 2024 | For reporting Week 34, ending 25 August 2024}

Influenza

• In the Northern hemisphere, influenza activity in temperate countries remained at interepidemic levels. Activity was elevated in countries in Western Africa (due to A(H3N2) and B viruses), Middle Africa (due to A(H3N2) viruses), Southern Asia (due to A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses), and South East Asia(due to A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses). Activity continued to increase in some countries in Middle Africa and Southern 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(H3N2) viruses), Southern Africa (due to B viruses), and Oceania (due to A(H3N2) viruses). Activity increased in some areas of Tropical South America and Eastern Africa, but declined or was similar in most other countries.
  

SARS-CoV-2

• SARS-CoV-2 activity remained elevated in many countries across the Northern hemisphere. Increased activity was seen in a few reporting countries in the Northern hemisphere. Activity was similar or declined compared with the prior report in all other reporting countries.

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.