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EuroFlu - Weekly Electronic Bulletin, Week 41 : 07/10/2013-13/10/2013, 18 October 2013, Issue No. 500: Low Activity
[Source: EuroFlu, full page: (LINK). Edited.]
EuroFlu - Weekly Electronic Bulletin, Week 41 : 07/10/2013-13/10/2013, 18 October 2013, Issue No. 500
Low influenza activity in the Europe
Summary, week 41/2013
The EuroFlu bulletin describes and comments on influenza activity in the 53 Member States in the WHO European Region to provide information to public health specialists, clinicians and the public on the timing of the influenza season, the spread of influenza, the prevalence and characteristics of circulating viruses (type, subtype and lineage) and severity.
For a description of influenza surveillance in the WHO European Region see below.
Virological surveillance for influenza
During week 41/2013, a total of 3931 specimens was tested for influenza, 19 (0.5%) of which were positive: 14 (74%) were positive for influenza A and 5 (26%) for influenza B (Fig 1).
________
Of the 11 influenza A viruses that were subtyped during week 41/2013, 3 were A(H1N1)pdm09 and 8 A(H3N2) viruses (Fig. 2a).
________
Since very few influenza viruses were detected during week 41/2013, 32 countries reported ?none? in the dominant virus type category (Map 1).
Virus strain characterizations
Circulating influenza viruses are assessed each season for their antigenic and genetic characteristics, to determine the extent of their antigenic similarity to the viruses included in the seasonal influenza vaccine, and determine the prevalence of mutations that affect pathogenicity or are associated with susceptibility to antiviral drugs.
No viruses have been antigenically and genetically characterized or screened for susceptibility to the neuraminidase inhibitors oseltamivir and zanamivir this season.
For the 2013/2014 northern hemisphere influenza season, WHO recommended inclusion of A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like, A(H3N2) virus antigenically like the cell-propagated prototype virus A/Victoria/361/2011 and B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like viruses in vaccines (see the WHO headquarters web site).
Outpatient surveillance for influenza-like illness (ILI) and/or acute respiratory infection (ARI)
During week 41/2013, all reporting countries in the Region reported low influenza activity (Map 2) with most reporting stable trends (Map 4) with mainly no or sporadic influenza activity (Map 3), which is usual for this time of year.
Similar to week 40, ILI and ARI consultation rates were below the national baselines or at interseason levels in all countries reporting clinical data during week 41/2013.
(?)
For week 41/2013, the proportion of ILI and ARI cases testing positive for influenza in the Region was low; with only 1 sentinel sample testing positive (Fig. 5).
________
1 of the 350 specimens collected from sentinel sources tested positive for influenza A during week 41/2013. Click here for a detailed overview in a table format. 
________
Hospital surveillance for SARI
7 countries (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation and Ukraine) taking part in hospital surveillance for SARI reported hospitalizations to be at interseason levels in week 41/2013 (Fig.7).This is typical for this time of the year.
________
None of the 68 SARI samples collected in Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation and Ukraine tested positive for influenza during week 41/2013. Click here for a detailed overview in table format.
(?)
For more information on surveillance of confirmed hospitalized influenza, please see ECDC?s Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview (WISO) at European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control web site.
EuroMOMO (European Mortality Monitoring Project)
EuroMOMO is a project set up to develop and operate a routine public health mortality monitoring system to detect and measure, on a real-time basis, excess deaths related to influenza and other possible public health threats across 20 European Union (EU) countries.
Pooled analysis of week data for 41/2013 showed that all-cause mortality was within the normal range for all reporting countries. Results of pooled analysis may vary, depending on which countries are included in the weekly analysis. For more information about the EUROMOMO mortality monitoring system please click here).
(?)
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EuroFlu - Weekly Electronic Bulletin, Week 41 : 07/10/2013-13/10/2013, 18 October 2013, Issue No. 500
Low influenza activity in the Europe
Summary, week 41/2013
- Influenza activity was at low levels in all countries that reported data in week 41.
- In all countries with established epidemic thresholds, consultation rates for influenza-like illness (ILI) and/or acute respiratory infection (ARI) were reported to be below the national thresholds.
- None of the specimens from cases of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) that were collected through hospital surveillance, and tested for influenza, was positive.
- Most countries reported no influenza activity and the percentage of samples testing positive was very low (<1%), indicating no significant influenza activity in the WHO European Region.
The EuroFlu bulletin describes and comments on influenza activity in the 53 Member States in the WHO European Region to provide information to public health specialists, clinicians and the public on the timing of the influenza season, the spread of influenza, the prevalence and characteristics of circulating viruses (type, subtype and lineage) and severity.
For a description of influenza surveillance in the WHO European Region see below.
Virological surveillance for influenza
During week 41/2013, a total of 3931 specimens was tested for influenza, 19 (0.5%) of which were positive: 14 (74%) were positive for influenza A and 5 (26%) for influenza B (Fig 1).
________
Of the 11 influenza A viruses that were subtyped during week 41/2013, 3 were A(H1N1)pdm09 and 8 A(H3N2) viruses (Fig. 2a).
________
Since very few influenza viruses were detected during week 41/2013, 32 countries reported ?none? in the dominant virus type category (Map 1).
Virus strain characterizations
Circulating influenza viruses are assessed each season for their antigenic and genetic characteristics, to determine the extent of their antigenic similarity to the viruses included in the seasonal influenza vaccine, and determine the prevalence of mutations that affect pathogenicity or are associated with susceptibility to antiviral drugs.
No viruses have been antigenically and genetically characterized or screened for susceptibility to the neuraminidase inhibitors oseltamivir and zanamivir this season.
For the 2013/2014 northern hemisphere influenza season, WHO recommended inclusion of A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like, A(H3N2) virus antigenically like the cell-propagated prototype virus A/Victoria/361/2011 and B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like viruses in vaccines (see the WHO headquarters web site).
Outpatient surveillance for influenza-like illness (ILI) and/or acute respiratory infection (ARI)
During week 41/2013, all reporting countries in the Region reported low influenza activity (Map 2) with most reporting stable trends (Map 4) with mainly no or sporadic influenza activity (Map 3), which is usual for this time of year.
Similar to week 40, ILI and ARI consultation rates were below the national baselines or at interseason levels in all countries reporting clinical data during week 41/2013.
(?)
For week 41/2013, the proportion of ILI and ARI cases testing positive for influenza in the Region was low; with only 1 sentinel sample testing positive (Fig. 5).
1 of the 350 specimens collected from sentinel sources tested positive for influenza A during week 41/2013. Click here for a detailed overview in a table format.
________
Hospital surveillance for SARI
7 countries (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation and Ukraine) taking part in hospital surveillance for SARI reported hospitalizations to be at interseason levels in week 41/2013 (Fig.7).This is typical for this time of the year.
None of the 68 SARI samples collected in Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation and Ukraine tested positive for influenza during week 41/2013. Click here for a detailed overview in table format.
(?)
For more information on surveillance of confirmed hospitalized influenza, please see ECDC?s Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview (WISO) at European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control web site.
EuroMOMO (European Mortality Monitoring Project)
EuroMOMO is a project set up to develop and operate a routine public health mortality monitoring system to detect and measure, on a real-time basis, excess deaths related to influenza and other possible public health threats across 20 European Union (EU) countries.
Pooled analysis of week data for 41/2013 showed that all-cause mortality was within the normal range for all reporting countries. Results of pooled analysis may vary, depending on which countries are included in the weekly analysis. For more information about the EUROMOMO mortality monitoring system please click here).
(?)
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