tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Int J Infect Dis
. 2021 May 19;S1201-9712(21)00441-0.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.05.039. Online ahead of print.
The changing influenza activity in the Southern hemisphere countries during the COVID-19 pandemic
Jeehyun Kim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Raquel Elizabeth Gómez Gómez[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kwan Hong[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sujin Yum[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jieun Jang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Byung Chul Chun[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Introduction: While the reduction in influenza cases in the Northern hemisphere during 2020 has been widely reported, the Southern hemisphere's influenza transmission dynamics remain uncharacterized.
Methods: We analyzed the change in the influenza-positive proportions (IPP) between 2010-2019 and 2020 in Southern hemisphere countries with ≤40% missing IPP data from FluNet to assess the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relates to influenza activity. Our analysis considered the COVID-19 incidence reported by the World Health Organization and the implementation date of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) reported by the Oxford COVID-19 government response tracker.
Results: In each of the seven included countries, in 2020, the average IPP was lower than before (p < 0.01), with the largest difference in IPP being 31.1% (95% confidence interval, 28.4%-33.7%). In Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and South Africa, higher IPPs were observed during the epidemiological weeks 4-16 of 2020 compared to those in 2010-2019. The IPPs increased after NPIs were implemented in Argentina and South Africa but started to decline in Bolivia, Chile, Madagascar, and Paraguay before NPI implementation.
Conclusions: Influenza burden and activity decreased during 2020 in the Southern hemisphere. The temporal declines in influenza activity varied among countries.
Keywords: COVID-19; FluNet; Influenza; Southern Hemisphere; influenza-positive proportion; public health surveillance.
. 2021 May 19;S1201-9712(21)00441-0.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.05.039. Online ahead of print.
The changing influenza activity in the Southern hemisphere countries during the COVID-19 pandemic
Jeehyun Kim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Raquel Elizabeth Gómez Gómez[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kwan Hong[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sujin Yum[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jieun Jang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Byung Chul Chun[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34022335
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.05.039
Abstract
Introduction: While the reduction in influenza cases in the Northern hemisphere during 2020 has been widely reported, the Southern hemisphere's influenza transmission dynamics remain uncharacterized.
Methods: We analyzed the change in the influenza-positive proportions (IPP) between 2010-2019 and 2020 in Southern hemisphere countries with ≤40% missing IPP data from FluNet to assess the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relates to influenza activity. Our analysis considered the COVID-19 incidence reported by the World Health Organization and the implementation date of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) reported by the Oxford COVID-19 government response tracker.
Results: In each of the seven included countries, in 2020, the average IPP was lower than before (p < 0.01), with the largest difference in IPP being 31.1% (95% confidence interval, 28.4%-33.7%). In Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and South Africa, higher IPPs were observed during the epidemiological weeks 4-16 of 2020 compared to those in 2010-2019. The IPPs increased after NPIs were implemented in Argentina and South Africa but started to decline in Bolivia, Chile, Madagascar, and Paraguay before NPI implementation.
Conclusions: Influenza burden and activity decreased during 2020 in the Southern hemisphere. The temporal declines in influenza activity varied among countries.
Keywords: COVID-19; FluNet; Influenza; Southern Hemisphere; influenza-positive proportion; public health surveillance.