Influenza Update N° 495

Overview

^{Published 2 October 2024 | For reporting Week 38, ending 22 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 and Western Africa, but decreased or was similar to the prior report in all other reporting countries.
• 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). Aside from a small increase in activity seen in a country in Tropical South America, 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. Aside from an increase in activity reported in one country in Eastern Europe, activity decreased or was similar compared with the prior report from 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.