Influenza Update N° 500

Overview

^{Published 07 November 2024 | For reporting Week 43, ending 27 October 2024}

Influenza

• In the Northern hemisphere, influenza activity in temperate countries remained at inter-epidemic levels and was elevated in Western Africa (due to B viruses), one country in Middle Africa (due to A(H3N2) viruses), Western Asia (due to A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses), Southern Asia (due to A(H1N1)pdm09 and B viruses), South East Asia (due to A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses) and one country in Central America (due to A(H3N2) viruses). Activity increased in some countries in Middle Africa, Western Asia, and Southern Asia.
• In the Southern hemisphere, influenza activity was elevated in some countries in South America (due to A(H3N2) and B viruses), Eastern Africa (due to A(H1N1)pdm09 and B viruses), and one country in Oceania, Melanesia, and Polynesia (due to A viruses). Increased activity was reported in one country Tropical South America, but similar or declined in all other reporting countries.

 

SARS-CoV-2

• SARS-CoV-2 activity remained elevated in many countries in Europe and a few countries in Western Africa and Central Asia. Increased activity was reported in a few countries in Europe, the Caribbean, Temperate South America, and Eastern 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://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-integrated_sentinel_surveillance-2022.1.