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Epidemiology of Influenza among patients with influenza‐like illness and severe acute respiratory illness in Pakistan: A 10‐year surveillance study 2008‐17
Author(s) -
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
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.25913
Subject(s) - respiratory illness , epidemiology , influenza like illness , medicine , virology , respiratory system , epidemiological surveillance , pandemic , intensive care medicine , covid-19 , immunology , virus , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty)
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.