Respiratory Virus Surveillance in the WHO African Region Epidemiological Week 30, July 24 to 30, 2023
During epidemiological week 30, 17 countries in the WHO African region (WHO AFR) contributed virological data for analysis - Angola, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Niger, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, and Zambia. During week 30, 1,132 specimens were collected, and 1,094 were tested for influenza.
In Epiweek 30, 73 specimens tested positive for influenza virus (positivity of 6.67%), of which 55 specimens were Influenza A, and 18 specimens were Influenza B, out of 1094 specimens processed. The following Influenza viruses were identified: Influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 (n = 47), Influenza A (H3) (n = 7), Influenza A (subtyping not performed) (n = 1), Influenza B (lineage not determined) (n = 11), and Influenza B (Victoria) (n = 7).
Cumulatively from weeks 1 to 30, the WHO AFR influenza laboratory network has collected 64,392 specimens and tested 64,136, of which 4,929 were positive for influenza virus (positivity rate 7.69%).