Epidemiology of Influenza among patients with influenza‐like illness and severe acute respiratory illness in Pakistan: A 10‐year surveillance study 2008‐17

In Pakistan, the burden of influenza was largely unknown, as no formal surveillance system was in place. In 2008, an influenza surveillance system was set up in eight sentinel sites. This study describes the epidemiology of influenza virus using a 10‐year surveillance data from 2008 to 2017. Nasopha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of medical virology Vol. 92; no. 12; pp. 3028 - 3037
Main Authors:	Nisar, Nadia, Aamir, Uzma Bashir, Badar, Nazish, Mahmood, Muhammad Rashid, Yaqoob, Aashifa, Tripathy, Jaya Prasad, Laxmeshwar, Chinmay, Tenzin, Karma, Zaidi, Syed Sohail Zahoor, Salman, Muhammad, Ikram, Aamer
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-12-2020
Subjects:	Adolescent Adult Aged Aged, 80 and over Child Child, Preschool Children Epidemics Epidemiological Monitoring Epidemiology Female H1N1 virus Humans Illnesses Infant Infant, Newborn Influenza Influenza A Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype - genetics Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype - isolation & purification Influenza B Influenza B virus - genetics Influenza B virus - isolation & purification influenza surveillance Influenza, Human - epidemiology Influenza, Human - virology Male Middle Aged Nasopharynx - virology Pakistan - epidemiology Pharynx - virology Polymerase chain reaction Respiratory diseases Respiratory Tract Infections - epidemiology Respiratory Tract Infections - virology Risk groups RNA-directed DNA polymerase Seasons Sentinel Surveillance Surveillance Vaccines Virology Viruses Winter Young Adult Pakistan H1N1 virus influenza surveillance epidemiology
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Summary:	In Pakistan, the burden of influenza was largely unknown, as no formal surveillance system was in place. In 2008, an influenza surveillance system was set up in eight sentinel sites. This study describes the epidemiology of influenza virus using a 10‐year surveillance data from 2008 to 2017. Nasopharyngeal/throat swabs were collected from patients with influenza‐like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) along with relevant epidemiological information. The samples were tested using real‐time reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction for the detection and characterization of influenza viruses. A total of 17 209 samples were tested for influenza, out of which 3552 (20.6%) were positive; 2151/11 239 (19.1%) were patients with ILI, whereas 1401/5970 (23.5%) were patients with SARI. Influenza A/H1N1pdm09 was the predominant strain with 40.6% (n = 1442) followed by influenza B (936, 26.4%). Influenza A/H1N1pdm09 was predominant among the children (5‐14 years) and adults (15‐64 years). Influenza B strain was predominantly found in the elderly age group (≥ 65 years) accounting for 48% of cases followed by children (2‐4 years) accounting for 37% of cases. This 10‐year surveillance data provides evidence of influenza activity in the country throughout the year with seasonal winter peaks. The results could be used to strengthen the epidemic preparedness and response plan. Highlights The study findings allow national policy makers to better prepare for upcoming seasons. The study describes critical features of influenza epidemiology including risk groups and transmission characteristics.The study will support the selection of influenza strains for vaccine production. Influenza viruses affected all age groups and gender and circulated seasonally peaking during the winter months of December through February.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0146-6615 1096-9071
DOI:	10.1002/jmv.25913