Incidence of influenza virus-associated severe acute respiratory infection in Damanhour district, Egypt, 2013

Abstract

The epidemiology, seasonality and risk factors for influenza virus infection remains poorly defined in countries such as Egypt. Between 1 January and 31 December 2013, we used surveillance data on patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory infection in three Egyptian government hospitals in Damanhour district to estimate the incidence rate of laboratory-confirmed seasonal influenza. Samples were taken from 1727 of 1856 patients; of these, 19% were influenza virus positive. The overall incidence of influenza virus-associated SARI during the study period was estimated to be 44 cases per 100 000 person-years (95% CI: 39-48). The highest incidence of 166 cases per 100 000 person year (95% CI: 125-220) was observed in children aged 2 to 4 years. The incidence of influenza-virus associated SARI cases in pregnant women was estimated to be 17.3 cases per 100 000 person-years (95% CI: 6-54). Majority of influenza virus-associated SARI occurred in autumn and early winter, and influenza A(H3N2) virus predominated. This was the first ever description of the epidemiology of seasonal influenza in Egypt. However, additional works are needed for greater understanding of influenza burden in Egypt. RÉSUMÉ L'épidémiologie, la saisonnalité et les facteurs de risque liés à l'infection par le virus de la grippe demeurent mal définis dans des pays tels que l'Égypte. Entre le 1 er janvier et le 31 décembre 2013, nous avons utilisé les données de la surveillance des patients hospitalisés pour une infection respiratoire aiguë sévère (IRAS) dans trois hôpitaux publics égyptiens dans le district de Damanhour afin d'estimer le taux d'incidence de la grippe saisonnière confirmée en laboratoire. Des prélèvements ont été réalisés sur 1727 des 1856 patients ; 19 % étaient positifs au virus de la grippe. L'incidence globale des IRAS associées au virus de la grippe durant la période étudiée s'élevait, selon les estimations, à 44 cas pour 100 000 personnes-années (IC 95 % : 39-48). L'incidence la plus élevée, en l'occurrence 166 cas pour 100 000 personnes-années (IC 95 % : 125-220), a été observée chez les enfants âgés de 2 à 4 ans. L'incidence des cas d'IRAS associées au virus de la grippe chez les femmes enceintes s'élevait, selon les estimations, à 17 cas pour 100 000 personnes-années (IC 95 % : 6-54). La majorité des cas d'IRAS associées au virus de la grippe sont survenus en automne et au début de l'hiver, et le virus de la grippe A(H3N2) était prédominant. Toutefois, des études complémentaires sont nécessaires pour mieux comprendre la charge de la grippe en Égypte. 2013

The burden of influenza‐associated respiratory hospitalizations in Bhutan, 2015‐2016

“…Our all age rate estimates were similar to previously published estimates from neighboring countries where seasonal influenza vaccine use was low, such as rural India, central China, and Thailand . The greatest influenza‐associated hospitalization burden we observed was among children <5 years of age, which is consistent with other published studies from low‐ and middle‐income countries such as Bangladesh, Egypt, the Philippines, and South Africa . Our estimate from 2015 for children <5 years (182 [95% CI: 153‐210] per 100 000) was also similar to pooled estimates published for children <5 years from developing nations (150 [95% CI: 105‐216] per 100 000) and for the South East Asia WHO region (157 [95% CI: 76‐326] per 100 000), of which Bhutan is a member …”

A Snapshot of Influenza Surveillance, Vaccine Recommendations, and Vaccine Access, Drivers, and Barriers in Selected Middle Eastern and North African Countries

“…[12][13][14][15] However, as this manuscript was being written, influenza disease burden data concerning only the incidence of influenza confirmed severe acute respiratory illness cases for Iran, Egypt, and Tunisia was published in the July 2016 issue of Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (EMHJ). [16][17][18] In the same issue of the EMHJ, influenza outbreak characterization from other regional countries such as Jordan, lebanon, Morocco, and yemen were also published. [21][22][23][24] This is a step forward in the Eastern Mediterranean region; however, to establish effective prevention policies, more data including the health and economic burden of influenza over several seasons in the regional countries is needed.…”

“…[9][10][11][12][13] In addition, prior to very recent publications on the burden of influenza from Egypt, Iran, and Tunisia in collaboration with WHO/Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO), only a handful of countries such as Oman and Turkey had previously published studies on the burden of influenza in the MENA region. [14][15][16][17][18] In line with the WHO's Global Action Plan for Influenza Vaccines objectives to increase influenza awareness, a regional influenza stakeholder network (MENA-ISN) was established in 2014. 19 MENA-ISN is comprised of experts from basic and clinical sciences and officials from Ministry of Health (MOH) from Algeria, Egypt, Iran, lebanon, libya, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, Turkey, and united Arab Emirates (uAE).…”

Improved capacity for influenza surveillance in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region: Progress in a challenging setting

“…A total of 4172 seasonal influenza virus specimens were sent to the WHO Collaborating Centres by 15 NICs and influenza laboratories of the Region during the period from 2011 to 2018. The number of seasonal influenza virus samples sent to WHO CCs for vaccine strain selection increased from 142 specimens in 2011 (median 11, IQR [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] to 1473 specimens at the end of 2018 (median 89, IQR 82-174). During the same period, the number of shipments also increased from 11 shipments per year from 8 national influenza centers during 2011 to 33 shipments per year from 15 national influenza centers and influenza laboratories at the end of 2018.…”

“…In 2011, when the second phase of the enhanced influenza surveillance programme began, no country in the Region had published any information on influenza disease burden. However, by 2018 at least eight countries in the Region had published data on the influenza disease burden and seasonality in peer-reviewed medical journals [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] leading to improved knowledge of the epidemiology of seasonal influenza in the Region (Table 4). Although, data on influenza disease burden across countries are not consistent and comparable owing to different study methods and designs used by the countries-from descriptive studies to modelling.…”