Respiratory Virus Surveillance in the WHO African Region Epidemiological Week 36, September 04 to 10, 2023
During Epidemiological week 36, 19 countries in the WHO African Region (WHO AFR) contributed virological data for analysis - Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Togo, and Zambia. During week 36, 1,534 specimens were collected, and 1,503 were tested for influenza.
In Epiweek 36, 165 specimens tested positive for influenza virus (positivity of 10.98%), of which 139 specimens were Influenza A, and 26 specimens were Influenza B. The following Influenza subtypes were identified: Influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 (n = 76), Influenza A (H3) (n = 51), Influenza A (subtyping not performed) (n = 12), Influenza B (lineage not determined) (n = 9), and Influenza B (Victoria) (n = 17).
Cumulatively from weeks 1 to 36, the WHO AFR influenza laboratory network has collected 77,805 specimens and tested 77,433, of which 6,237 were positive for influenza virus (positivity rate 8.05%).