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 Epidemiological and virological assessment of influenza activity in Europe, during the 2006-2007 winter

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (34) ◽  
Author(s):  
J MS Arkema ◽  
A Meijer ◽  
T J Meerhoff ◽  
J Van Der Velden ◽  
W J Paget ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza A ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Vaccine Virus ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Clinical Activity ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
Influenza Like Illness ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Virus Strains

Influenza surveillance in Europe is based on influenza surveillance networks that cooperate and share information through the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS). EISS collected clinical and virological data on influenza in 33 countries during the 2006-2007 winter. Influenza activity started around 1 January and first occurred in Greece, Scotland and Spain. It then moved gradually across Europe from south to north and lasted until the end of March. In 29 out of 33 countries, the consultation rates for influenza-like-illness or acute respiratory infections in the winter of 2006-2007 were similar or somewhat higher than in the 2005-2006 winter. The highest consultation rates for influenza-like-illness were generally observed among children aged 0-4 years and 5-14 years. The predominant virus strain was influenza A (97% of total detections) of the H3 subtype (93% of H-subtyped A viruses; 7% were A(H1)). The influenza A(H3) and A(H1) viruses were similar to the vaccine reference strains for the 2006-2007 season, A/Wisconsin/67/2005 (H3N2) and A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1) respectively. The majority of the influenza B viruses were similar to the reference strain B/Malaysia/2506/2004, included in the 2006-2007 vaccine. In conclusion, the 2006-2007 influenza season in Europe was characterised by moderate clinical activity, a south to north spread pattern across Europe, and a dominance of influenza A(H3). Overall there was a good match between the vaccine virus strains and the reported virus strains.

scholarly journals Increasing laboratory confirmed cases of influenza in Europe, particularly cases of influenza B in the south west

2003 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
W J Paget
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Clinical Activity ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
North West ◽  
Regional Activity ◽  
South West ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Baseline Levels ◽  
Surveillance Scheme

Eleven networks in Europe reported no influenza activity to the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS, http://www.eiss.org/) in the week ending 29 December 2002 (week 52). Four networks reported sporadic activity (Belgium, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland), and one network (France) reported regional activity (1). A report of no influenza activity indicates that the overall level of clinical activity was at baseline levels. In France, influenza activity was the highest in the Rhône-Alpes (south east), the Midi-Pyrénées (south west) and the Normandy (north west) regions. The intensity of clinical activity was medium in Spain and low in all of the other networks.

scholarly journals Influenza in Europe still below the epidemic threshold

2001 ◽  
Vol 5 (49) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Vega
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Infection ◽  
Acute Respiratory Infection ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Epidemic Threshold ◽  
Influenza Like Illness ◽  
Threshold Levels ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Surveillance Scheme

The level of influenza-like illness and acute respiratory infection morbidity remains below the threshold levels throughout Europe and the influenza viruses A and B isolated/detected until now resemble the strains in the vaccine for this season. Fourteen national and subnational networks reported no influenza activity to the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS, http://www.eiss.org) in the week ending 25 November (week 47) (1). Only in France and Slovenia was sporadic activity observed.

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).

scholarly journals Epidemiology and Clinical Symptoms Related to Seasonal Coronavirus Identified in Patients with Acute Respiratory Infections Consulting in Primary Care over Six Influenza Seasons (2014–2020) in France

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 630
Author(s):  
Shirley Masse ◽  
Lisandru Capai ◽  
Natacha Villechenaud ◽  
Thierry Blanchon ◽  
Rémi Charrel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
General Practice ◽  
Clinical Features ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Representative Samples

There is currently debate about human coronavirus (HCoV) seasonality and pathogenicity, as epidemiological data are scarce. Here, we provide epidemiological and clinical features of HCoV patients with acute respiratory infection (ARI) examined in primary care general practice. We also describe HCoV seasonality over six influenza surveillance seasons (week 40 to 15 of each season) from the period 2014/2015 to 2019/2020 in Corsica (France). A sample of patients of all ages presenting for consultation for influenza-like illness (ILI) or ARI was included by physicians of the French Sentinelles Network during this period. Nasopharyngeal samples were tested for the presence of 21 respiratory pathogens by real-time RT-PCR. Among the 1389 ILI/ARI patients, 105 were positive for at least one HCoV (7.5%). On an annual basis, HCoVs circulated from week 48 (November) to weeks 14–15 (May) and peaked in week 6 (February). Overall, among the HCoV-positive patients detected in this study, HCoV-OC43 was the most commonly detected virus, followed by HCoV-NL63, HCoV-HKU1, and HCoV-229E. The HCoV detection rates varied significantly with age (p = 0.00005), with the age group 0–14 years accounting for 28.6% (n = 30) of HCoV-positive patients. Fever and malaise were less frequent in HCoV patients than in influenza patients, while sore throat, dyspnoea, rhinorrhoea, and conjunctivitis were more associated with HCoV positivity. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that HCoV subtypes appear in ARI/ILI patients seen in general practice, with characteristic outbreak patterns primarily in winter. This study also identified symptoms associated with HCoVs in patients with ARI/ILI. Further studies with representative samples should be conducted to provide additional insights into the epidemiology and clinical features of HCoVs.

scholarly journals Age- and Influenza Activity-Stratified Case Definitions of Influenza-Like Illness: Experience from Hospital-Based Influenza Surveillance in South Korea

PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e84873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tae Un Yang ◽  
Hee Jin Cheong ◽  
Joon Young Song ◽  
Jin Soo Lee ◽  
Seong-Heon Wie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Illness Experience ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Case Definitions ◽  
Influenza Like Illness ◽  
Influenza Activity

scholarly journals Prospective Behavioral Study of Patients with Acute Respiratory Infections

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 36-40
Author(s):  
Z. Sh. Nurmatov
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Systematic Sampling ◽  
Acute Respiratory Infections ◽  
Behavioral Study ◽  
Regional Office ◽  
Epidemic Season ◽  
Catchment Population

Introduction: Review of official reports for the last 10 years revealed that up to 5% of the country population suffers from acute respiratory infections (ARI) annually. The study aimed to research the actual incidence by analyzing the prevailing behaviors in populations with respiratory symptoms.Methods: The prospective behavioral study was conducted at the outpatient clinic No 1 in Bishkek, with the number of catchment population aged above 18 totaling 25,057. Selection of respondents was based on systematic sampling. Every hundredth resident was selected from the electronic database of the catchment population. 224 people above 18 were actually enrolled in the study. The survey continued from November 2012 to April 2013. Except for the first interview, all follow-up interviews were done over the phone. For the purposes of the study, individuals in the study group were considered cases if they exhibited symptoms of ARI, according to the WHO Regional Office for Europe guidance for sentinel influenza surveillance in humans (2011). The survey results data analysis was performed using the Epi Info statistical software.Results: From November 2012, to April 2013, 61.2% (224) of the observed population became ill. 46.7% were ill with ARI once, 40.1% – 2 – 3 times, 11.7% – 4 – 7 times, as a result 137 people got sick a total of 307 times (136,161 per 100,000 population), only 75 cases sought medical attention (24.6%). The incidence rates in the observed group of patients with ARI (75/305) who sought medical care per 100,000 population comprised 33,482.1. According to the routine surveillance in 2012 – 2013 epidemic season, there were 34,637 cases of ARI (3,826.9 per 100,000 population). In the fall, the incidence totaled 36.8%, in winter – 20.2% and in spring 29.1%. The incidence rates by age group, gender, and presence of children in the family did not have statistically significant differences. The most frequent symptoms were as follows: cough (64.6%), rhinitis (61.0%), headache (58.1%), and sore throat (50.1%).Conclusions: In the 2012 – 2013 epidemic season, the incidence of ARI in the observed population was 35.6 times higher than the registered incidence in Bishkek, which indicates the low rate of seeking care. 

scholarly journals OpenSAFELY NHS Service Restoration Observatory 1: primary care clinical activity in England during the first wave of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. BJGP.2021.0380
Author(s):  
Helen J Curtis ◽  
Brian MacKenna ◽  
Richard Croker ◽  
Peter Inglesby ◽  
Alex J Walker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
General Practice ◽  
Respiratory Disease ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Clinical Activity ◽  
Ratio Test

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare activity. The NHS stopped non-urgent work in March 2020, later recommending services be restored to near-normal levels before winter where possible.AimTo describe the volume and variation of coded clinical activity in general practice, taking respiratory disease and laboratory procedures as examples.Design and settingWorking on behalf of NHS England, a cohort study was conducted of 23.8 million patient records in general practice, in situ using OpenSAFELY.MethodActivity using Clinical Terms Version 3 codes and keyword searches from January 2019 to September 2020 are described.ResultsActivity recorded in general practice declined during the pandemic, but largely recovered by September. There was a large drop in coded activity for laboratory tests, with broad recovery to pre-pandemic levels by September. One exception was the international normalised ratio test, with a smaller reduction (median tests per 1000 patients in 2020: February 8.0; April 6.2; September 6.9). The pattern of recording for respiratory symptoms was less affected, following an expected seasonal pattern and classified as ‘no change’. Respiratory infections exhibited a sustained drop, not returning to pre-pandemic levels by September. Asthma reviews experienced a small drop but recovered, whereas chronic obstructive pulmonary disease reviews remained below baseline.ConclusionAn open-source software framework was delivered to describe trends and variation in clinical activity across an unprecedented scale of primary care data. The COVD-19 pandemic led to a substantial change in healthcare activity. Most laboratory tests showed substantial reduction, largely recovering to near-normal levels by September, with some important tests less affected and recording of respiratory disease codes was mixed.

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