Respiratory Virus Surveillance in the WHO African Region Epidemiological Week 25: June 19 to 25, 2023
During Epidemiological Week 25 (EpiWeek), 17 countries in the WHO African Region (WHO AFR) contributed virological data for analysis - Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Togo, United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia. During week 25, a total of 1,592 specimens were collected, and 1,562 were tested.
In Epiweek 25, 127 specimens were positive for influenza virus (positivity of 8.13%), of which 95 specimens were positive for Influenza A, and 32 specimens were positive for Influenza B, out of 1,562 processed specimens. The following Influenza viruses were identified: Influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 (n = 32), Influenza A (H3) (n = 57), Influenza A (subtyping not performed) (n = 6), Influenza B (lineage not determined) (n = 25), and Influenza B (Victoria) (n = 7).
Cumulatively from weeks 1 to 25, the WHO AFR influenza laboratory network has collected 55,743 specimens and tested 55,517, of which 4,284 were positive for influenza virus (positivity rate 7.72%).