Influenza Update N° 499

Overview

^{Published 30 October 2024 | For reporting Week 42, ending 20 October 2024}

Influenza

• In the Northern hemisphere, influenza activity in temperate countries remained at interepidemic levels. Activity was elevated in some countries in Western Africa (due mostly to A(H3N2) and B viruses), Middle Africa (due mostly to A(H3N2) viruses), Western Asia (due mostly to A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses), Southern Asia (due mostly to A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses), South East Asia (due mostly to A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses) and Central America and the Caribbean (due mostly to A(H3N2) viruses). Activity increased in some countries in Western Africa, Southern Asia, and South East 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 one country in the geographic sub-region of Oceania, Melanesia, and Polynesia. Activity was increased compared with last report in one country in Oceania, but similar or declined compared in all other reporting countries.

 

SARS-CoV-2

• SARS-CoV-2 activity remained elevated in many countries in Europe and in a few countries in Northern Africa and Western Africa. Increased activity was reported in a few countries in Europe and Western Africa but declined or was similar 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.