Tweet
Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2015 Aug;9 Suppl 1:3-12. doi: 10.1111/irv.12319.
Epidemiological and virological characteristics of influenza B: results of the Global Influenza B Study.
Caini S1, Huang QS2, Ciblak MA3, Kusznierz G4, Owen R5, Wangchuk S6, Henriques CM7, Njouom R8, Fasce RA9, Yu H10, Feng L10, Zambon M11, Clara AW12, Kosasih H13, Puzelli S14, Kadjo HA15, Emukule G16, Heraud JM17, Ang LW18, Venter M19,20, Mironenko A21, Brammer L22, Mai le TQ23, Schellevis F1, Plotkin S24, Paget J1; Global Influenza B Study.
Collaborators (31)
Author information
Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
Literature on influenza focuses on influenza A, despite influenza B having a large public health impact. The Global Influenza B Study aims to collect information on global epidemiology and burden of disease of influenza B since 2000.
METHODS:
Twenty-six countries in the Southern (n = 5) and Northern (n = 7) hemispheres and intertropical belt (n = 14) provided virological and epidemiological data. We calculated the proportion of influenza cases due to type B and Victoria and Yamagata lineages in each country and season; tested the correlation between proportion of influenza B and maximum weekly influenza-like illness (ILI) rate during the same season; determined the frequency of vaccine mismatches; and described the age distribution of cases by virus type.
RESULTS:
The database included 935 673 influenza cases (2000-2013). Overall median proportion of influenza B was 22?6%, with no statistically significant differences across seasons. During seasons where influenza B was dominant or co-circulated (>20% of total detections), Victoria and Yamagata lineages predominated during 64% and 36% of seasons, respectively, and a vaccine mismatch was observed in ≈25% of seasons. Proportion of influenza B was inversely correlated with maximum ILI rate in the same season in the Northern and (with borderline significance) Southern hemispheres. Patients infected with influenza B were usually younger (5-17 years) than patients infected with influenza A.
CONCLUSION:
Influenza B is a common disease with some epidemiological differences from influenza A. This should be considered when optimizing control/prevention strategies in different regions and reducing the global burden of disease due to influenza.
? 2015 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
KEYWORDS:
Burden of disease; Global Influenza B Study (GIBS); epidemiology; influenza; vaccination; vaccine mismatch
PMID: 26256290 [PubMed - in process]
Epidemiological and virological characteristics of influenza B: results of the Global Influenza B Study.
Caini S1, Huang QS2, Ciblak MA3, Kusznierz G4, Owen R5, Wangchuk S6, Henriques CM7, Njouom R8, Fasce RA9, Yu H10, Feng L10, Zambon M11, Clara AW12, Kosasih H13, Puzelli S14, Kadjo HA15, Emukule G16, Heraud JM17, Ang LW18, Venter M19,20, Mironenko A21, Brammer L22, Mai le TQ23, Schellevis F1, Plotkin S24, Paget J1; Global Influenza B Study.
Collaborators (31)
Author information
Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
Literature on influenza focuses on influenza A, despite influenza B having a large public health impact. The Global Influenza B Study aims to collect information on global epidemiology and burden of disease of influenza B since 2000.
METHODS:
Twenty-six countries in the Southern (n = 5) and Northern (n = 7) hemispheres and intertropical belt (n = 14) provided virological and epidemiological data. We calculated the proportion of influenza cases due to type B and Victoria and Yamagata lineages in each country and season; tested the correlation between proportion of influenza B and maximum weekly influenza-like illness (ILI) rate during the same season; determined the frequency of vaccine mismatches; and described the age distribution of cases by virus type.
RESULTS:
The database included 935 673 influenza cases (2000-2013). Overall median proportion of influenza B was 22?6%, with no statistically significant differences across seasons. During seasons where influenza B was dominant or co-circulated (>20% of total detections), Victoria and Yamagata lineages predominated during 64% and 36% of seasons, respectively, and a vaccine mismatch was observed in ≈25% of seasons. Proportion of influenza B was inversely correlated with maximum ILI rate in the same season in the Northern and (with borderline significance) Southern hemispheres. Patients infected with influenza B were usually younger (5-17 years) than patients infected with influenza A.
CONCLUSION:
Influenza B is a common disease with some epidemiological differences from influenza A. This should be considered when optimizing control/prevention strategies in different regions and reducing the global burden of disease due to influenza.
? 2015 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
KEYWORDS:
Burden of disease; Global Influenza B Study (GIBS); epidemiology; influenza; vaccination; vaccine mismatch
PMID: 26256290 [PubMed - in process]