Influenza Update N° 488

Overview

^{Published 14 August 2024 | For reporting Week 31, ending 04 August 2024}

Influenza

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

 

SARS-CoV-2

• SARS-CoV-2 activity, reported from sentinel surveillance in 62 countries, was elevated in most reporting countries in Northern Europe and South-West Europe, and a few countries in Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Southern Asia, South East Asia, Eastern Asia, Central America and the Caribbean and Tropical South America. Increasing activity was reported in a few countries in Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Eastern Asia and Central America and the Caribbean.

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://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-integrated_sentinel_surveillance-2022.1.