Publications

The occurrence of the avian influenza outbreak in 2006 and influenza H1N1 pandemic in 2009 triggered coordinated regional activities to better prepare for future outbreaks. These activities included human capacity building for influenza sentinel surveillance and diagnosis, creation of the influenza laboratory network, infrastructure and technology transfer to selected laboratories.

So far, 34 countries1 out of 47 in the WHO African region have developed influenza laboratory diagnostic capacity using the minimum standards recommended by WHO2. The African Region influenza virological surveillance network was established in 2006 to characterize the different epidemiological profiles within this expansive continent, which has vastly different climatic conditions. This lead to a better understanding of the epidemiology of influenza in the region and therefore development of more timely and appropriate response mechanisms. However, there is still a paucity of data on the epidemiology of influenza in the WHO African region.

The African Regional (AFR) influenza laboratory network is responsible for biological monitoring of circulating viral type/subtype. This enables WHO, in collaboration with partners and the pharmaceutical industry, to better define the choice of viruses for inclusion in future influenza vaccines. To date, the 23 countries3 of the AFR influenza laboratory network are implementing sentinel surveillance for Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and/or Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) and contributing to weekly influenza surveillance reporting. This is in addition to surveillance data received through FluNet, the global web-based tool for influenza virological surveillance.

The purpose of the weekly influenza surveillance bulletin is to monitor the influenza activity in the region by zone of transmission and to provide information on the seasonal pattern. This last report for 2016 provides a review of influenza activity from epidemiological (epi) weeks 1 to 52 in the region.