Influenza Update N° 494

Overview

^{Published 25 September 2024 | For reporting Week 37, ending 15 September 2024}

Influenza

• In the Northern hemisphere, influenza activity in temperate countries remained at interepidemic levels. Activity was elevated in Western Africa (due to A(H3N2) and B viruses), Middle Africa (due to A(H3N2) viruses), Western Asia (due to A(H1N1)pdm09 and B viruses), Southern Asia (due to A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses), South East Asia (due to A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses) and Central America and the Caribbean (due to A(H3N2) viruses). Activity continued to increase in a few countries in Central America, Western and Middle Africa, and Southern Asia.
• In the Southern hemisphere, influenza activity remained elevated in some countries in South America (due to B viruses), Eastern Africa (due to A and B viruses), and Oceania (due to A viruses). Activity declined or was similar compared with the prior report across the Southern hemisphere.

 

SARS-CoV-2

• SARS-CoV-2 activity remained elevated in many countries in Europe and a few countries in Central America and the Caribbean, Western Asia, and Eastern Asia. Activity decreased or was similar compared with the prior report in Europe and increased in a few reporting countries in Central America and the Caribbean and Western Africa.

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.