scholarly journals Influenza surveillance in Korea: establishment and first results of an epidemiological and virological surveillance scheme

2007 ◽  
Vol 135 (7) ◽  
pp. 1117-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-S. LEE ◽  
K.-C. SHIN ◽  
B.-K. NA ◽  
J.-Y. LEE ◽  
C. KANG ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza A ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Consultation Rate ◽  
Surveillance Network ◽  
Isolation And Characterization ◽  
First Results ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Laboratory Surveillance ◽  
Surveillance Scheme ◽  
Virological Surveillance

SUMMARYSurveillance is an important component of influenza control. This report describes the establishment and first results of the Korean Influenza Surveillance Scheme (KISS), an integrated clinical and laboratory surveillance network involving 622 public health centres (PHCs) and private clinics. Sentinel physicians reported cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) weekly and forwarded specimens for virus isolation and characterization. Influenza activity during the opening 2000–2001 season was milder and delayed compared with previous years. The ILI consultation rate corresponded well with the number of influenza virus isolates, both peaking in week 10 of 2001. Influenza A(H3N2) was the dominant isolate. The peak ILI consultation rate was higher in private clinics than in PHCs (5·04 vs 1·79 cases/1000 visits). An evaluation questionnaire generated potential enhancements to the scheme. KISS appears to represent the pattern of influenza activity accurately and will have a valuable role in monitoring and preventing epidemics in Korea.

scholarly journals Monitoring of influenza in the EISS European network member countries from October 2000 to April 2001

2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 127-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
A Mosnier ◽  
W J Paget ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza A ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Network Member ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
European Network ◽  
Previous Season ◽  
Influenza A H1n1 ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Surveillance Scheme

In countries covered by the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS), the 2000-2001 winter was marked mainly by the spread of influenza A(H1N1) viruses. Influenza B, which globally represented a minority of cases, was common later in the season and predo-minant in Great Britain, Ireland, and Portugal. Influenza activity was at its maximum during the period of January and February/March 2001 with little time lag between countries (maximum four weeks). Overall, the morbidity rates reported were much lower than for the previous season, illustrating a moderate level of influenza activity.

scholarly journals Influenza activity remains at high levels in some European countries

2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Vega ◽  
W J Paget
Keyword(s):  
European Countries ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Northern European ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Surveillance Scheme

While most national and subnational networks in Europe reported low clinical morbidity rates to the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS, http://www.eiss.org) in the week 17 March (week 11), some central and northern European countries continued to report high or increasing levels of influenza activity (1).

Antigenic and genomic characterization of human influenza A and B viruses circulating in Argentina after the introduction of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09

2014 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 1626-1637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara L. Russo ◽  
Andrea V. Pontoriero ◽  
Estefania Benedetti ◽  
Andrea Czech ◽  
Martin Avaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Vaccine Virus ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
World Health ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Human Influenza ◽  
Surveillance Network ◽  
Influenza A H1n1 ◽  
Health Organization

This study was conducted as part of the Argentinean Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses Surveillance Network, in the context of the Global Influenza Surveillance carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO). The objective was to study the activity and the antigenic and genomic characteristics of circulating viruses for three consecutive seasons (2010, 2011 and 2012) in order to investigate the emergence of influenza viral variants. During the study period, influenza virus circulation was detected from January to December. Influenza A and B, and all current subtypes of human influenza viruses, were present each year. Throughout the 2010 post-pandemic season, influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, unexpectedly, almost disappeared. The haemagglutinin (HA) of the A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses studied were segregated in a different genetic group to those identified during the 2009 pandemic, although they were still antigenically closely related to the vaccine strain A/California/07/2009. Influenza A(H3N2) viruses were the predominant strains circulating during the 2011 season, accounting for nearly 76 % of influenza viruses identified. That year, all HA sequences of the A(H3N2) viruses tested fell into the A/Victoria/208/2009 genetic clade, but remained antigenically related to A/Perth/16/2009 (reference vaccine recommended for this three-year period). A(H3N2) viruses isolated in 2012 were antigenically closely related to A/Victoria/361/2011, recommended by the WHO as the H3 component for the 2013 Southern Hemisphere formulation. B viruses belonging to the B/Victoria lineage circulated in 2010. A mixed circulation of viral variants of both B/Victoria and B/Yamagata lineages was detected in 2012, with the former being predominant. A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses remained antigenically closely related to the vaccine virus A/California/7/2009; A(H3N2) viruses continually evolved into new antigenic clusters and both B lineages, B/Victoria/2/87-like and B/Yamagata/16/88-like viruses, were observed during the study period. The virological surveillance showed that the majority of the circulating strains during the study period were antigenically related to the corresponding Southern Hemisphere vaccine strains except for the 2012 A(H3N2) viruses.

scholarly journals Surveillance of influenza in Europe from October 1999 to February 2000

2000 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 63-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza A ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Surveillance Scheme

Surveillance of influenza through EISS (European Influenza Surveillance Scheme) during the 1999 to 2000 winter shows that influenza affected most of the 11 participating countries and was particularly active in December 1999 and January 2000. Influenza A(

scholarly journals Spotlight influenza: The 2019/20 influenza season and the impact of COVID-19 on influenza surveillance in the WHO European Region

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (40) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia Adlhoch ◽  
Miriam Sneiderman ◽  
Oksana Martinuka ◽  
Angeliki Melidou ◽  
Nick Bundle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza A ◽  
Influenza Season ◽  
Healthcare Access ◽  
World Health ◽  
European Region ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
Rapid Reduction ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
The Impact

Background Annual seasonal influenza activity in the northern hemisphere causes a high burden of disease during the winter months, peaking in the first weeks of the year. Aim We describe the 2019/20 influenza season and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sentinel surveillance in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region. Methods We analysed weekly epidemiological and virological influenza data from sentinel primary care and hospital sources reported by countries, territories and areas (hereafter countries) in the European Region. Results We observed co-circulation of influenza B/Victoria-lineage, A(H1)pdm09 and A(H3) viruses during the 2019/20 season, with different dominance patterns observed across the Region. A higher proportion of patients with influenza A virus infection than type B were observed. The influenza activity started in week 47/2019, and influenza positivity rate was ≥ 50% for 2 weeks (05–06/2020) rather than 5–8 weeks in the previous five seasons. In many countries a rapid reduction in sentinel reports and the highest influenza activity was observed in weeks 09–13/2020. Reporting was reduced from week 14/2020 across the Region coincident with the onset of widespread circulation of SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions Overall, influenza type A viruses dominated; however, there were varying patterns across the Region, with dominance of B/Victoria-lineage viruses in a few countries. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an earlier end of the influenza season and reduced influenza virus circulation probably owing to restricted healthcare access and public health measures.

scholarly journals The Fever Coach Mobile App for Participatory Influenza Surveillance in Children: Usability Study

10.2196/14276 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. e14276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myeongchan Kim ◽  
Sehyo Yune ◽  
Seyun Chang ◽  
Yuseob Jung ◽  
Soon Ok Sa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Surveillance Network ◽  
Influenza Activity

Background Effective surveillance of influenza requires a broad network of health care providers actively reporting cases of influenza-like illnesses and positive laboratory results. Not only is this traditional surveillance system costly to establish and maintain but there is also a time lag between a change in influenza activity and its detection. A new surveillance system that is both reliable and timely will help public health officials to effectively control an epidemic and mitigate the burden of the disease. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the use of parent-reported data of febrile illnesses in children submitted through the Fever Coach app in real-time surveillance of influenza activities. Methods Fever Coach is a mobile app designed to help parents and caregivers manage fever in young children, currently mainly serviced in South Korea. The app analyzes data entered by a caregiver and provides tailored information for care of the child based on the child’s age, sex, body weight, body temperature, and accompanying symptoms. Using the data submitted to the app during the 2016-2017 influenza season, we built a regression model that monitors influenza incidence for the 2017-2018 season and validated the model by comparing the predictions with the public influenza surveillance data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Results During the 2-year study period, 70,203 diagnosis data, including 7702 influenza reports, were submitted. There was a significant correlation between the influenza activity predicted by Fever Coach and that reported by KCDC (Spearman ρ=0.878; P<.001). Using this model, the influenza epidemic in the 2017-2018 season was detected 10 days before the epidemic alert announced by KCDC. Conclusions The Fever Coach app successfully collected data from 7.73% (207,699/2,686,580) of the target population by providing care instruction for febrile children. These data were used to develop a model that accurately estimated influenza activity measured by the central government agency using reports from sentinel facilities in the national surveillance network.

Absenteeism in schools during the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic: a useful tool for early detection of influenza activity in the community?

2011 ◽  
Vol 140 (7) ◽  
pp. 1328-1336 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. O. KARA ◽  
A. J. ELLIOT ◽  
H. BAGNALL ◽  
D. G. F. FOORD ◽  
R. PNAISER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
H1n1 Pandemic ◽  
School Absenteeism ◽  
Sentinel Network ◽  
Influenza A H1n1 ◽  
Influenza Activity

SUMMARYCertain influenza outbreaks, including the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic, can predominantly affect school-age children. Therefore the use of school absenteeism data has been considered as a potential tool for providing early warning of increasing influenza activity in the community. This study retrospectively evaluates the usefulness of these data by comparing them with existing syndromic surveillance systems and laboratory data. Weekly mean percentages of absenteeism in 373 state schools (children aged 4–18 years) in Birmingham, UK, from September 2006 to September 2009, were compared with established syndromic surveillance systems including a telephone health helpline, a general practitioner sentinel network and laboratory data for influenza. Correlation coefficients were used to examine the relationship between each syndromic system. In June 2009, school absenteeism generally peaked concomitantly with the existing influenza surveillance systems in England. Weekly school absenteeism surveillance would not have detected pandemic influenza A(H1N1) earlier but daily absenteeism data and the development of baselines could improve the timeliness of the system.

scholarly journals Declining influenza activity in Europe while public concern over SARS has not increased general practice consultations for influenza-like illness or acute respiratory infections

2003 ◽  
Vol 7 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
W J Paget ◽  
M Zambon ◽  
H Upphoff ◽  
A I M Bartelds
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Clinical Activity ◽  
Acute Respiratory Infections ◽  
Public Concern ◽  
Influenza Like Illness ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Baseline Levels ◽  
Surveillance Scheme

Influenza activity in the 22 networks (19 countries) that participate in the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS, http://www.eiss.org/) in the week ending 6 April 2003 (week 14/2003) was regional in Italy, local in nine networks and sporadic in eight networks (1). One network – Portugal – reported no influenza activity, indicating that the overall level of clinical activity was at baseline levels. Compared to week 13/2003, clinical morbidity rates declined in thirteen networks and remained stable in two (France and Slovenia).

scholarly journals Pilot study to harmonize the reported influenza intensity levels within the Spanish Influenza Sentinel Surveillance System (SISSS) using the Moving Epidemic Method (MEM)

2016 ◽  
Vol 145 (4) ◽  
pp. 715-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. BANGERT ◽  
H. GIL ◽  
J. OLIVA ◽  
C. DELGADO ◽  
T. VEGA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Sentinel Surveillance ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Surveillance Network ◽  
Spanish Influenza ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Sentinel Surveillance System

SUMMARYThe intensity of annual Spanish influenza activity is currently estimated from historical data of the Spanish Influenza Sentinel Surveillance System (SISSS) using qualitative indicators from the European Influenza Surveillance Network. However, these indicators are subjective, based on qualitative comparison with historical data of influenza-like illness rates. This pilot study assesses the implementation of Moving Epidemic Method (MEM) intensity levels during the 2014–2015 influenza season within the 17 sentinel networks covered by SISSS, comparing them to historically reported indicators. Intensity levels reported and those obtained with MEM at the epidemic peak of the influenza wave, and at national and regional levels did not show statistical difference (P = 0·74, Wilcoxon signed-rank test), suggesting that the implementation of MEM would have limited disrupting effects on the dynamic of notification within the surveillance system. MEM allows objective influenza surveillance monitoring and standardization of criteria for comparing the intensity of influenza epidemics in regions in Spain. Following this pilot study, MEM has been adopted to harmonize the reporting of intensity levels of influenza activity in Spain, starting in the 2015–2016 season.

scholarly journals Genetic and Antigenic Characterization of an Influenza A(H3N2) Outbreak in Cambodia and the Greater Mekong Subregion during the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jurre Y. Siegers ◽  
Vijaykrishna Dhanasekaran ◽  
Ruopeng Xie ◽  
Yi-Mo Deng ◽  
Sarika Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Vaccine ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Vaccine Virus ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Multiple Virus ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Greater Mekong Subregion

Introduction of non-pharmaceutical interventions to control COVID-19 in early 2020 coincided with a global decrease in active influenza circulation. However, between July and November 2020, an influenza A(H3N2) epidemic occurred in Cambodia and in other neighboring countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion in Southeast Asia. We characterized the genetic and antigenic evolution of A(H3N2) in Cambodia and found that the 2020 epidemic comprised genetically and antigenically similar viruses of Clade3C2a1b/131K/94N, but they were distinct from the WHO recommended influenza A(H3N2) vaccine virus components for 2020-2021 Northern Hemisphere season. Phylogenetic analysis revealed multiple virus migration events between Cambodia and bordering countries, with Laos PDR and Vietnam also reporting similar A(H3N2) epidemics immediately following the Cambodia outbreak: however, there was limited circulation of these viruses elsewhere globally. In February 2021, a virus from the Cambodian outbreak was recommended by WHO as the prototype virus for inclusion in the 2021-2022 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine. Importance The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly altered the circulation patterns of respiratory diseases worldwide and disrupted continued surveillance in many countries. Introduction of control measures in early 2020 against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has resulted in a remarkable reduction in the circulation of many respiratory diseases. Influenza activity has remained at historically low levels globally since March 2020, even when increased influenza testing was performed in some countries. Maintenance of the influenza surveillance system in Cambodia in 2020 allowed for the detection and response to an influenza A(H3N2) outbreak in late 2020, resulting in the inclusion of this virus in the 2021-2022 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine.

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