Capacity of the national influenza surveillance system in Afghanistan, a chronic conflict setting

Rasooly, Mohammad Hafiz; Sahak, Mohammad Nadir; Saeed, K. A.; Krishnan, Sampath; Khan, Wasiq; Hassounah, Sondus

doi:10.26719/2016.22.7.475

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 7 publications

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“…As a result, epidemiological surveillance was instigated in nine hospitals and virological surveillance was revived and integrated. The Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) located in the capital city of Kabul, has been recognized as a national influenza center (NIC) since 2009 [10].…”

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confidence: 99%

The 2018-19 influenza season in Afghanistan: Epidemiology and Virology

Sahak¹,

Arifi²,

Hammond³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Objective This paper aims to provide information on epidemiology and virology of seasonal influenza for the 2018-19 season, and build upon limited information for developing influenza vaccination policy for risk groups in Afghanistan. Methods This paper is based on a retrospective analysis of Afghanistan influenza surveillance data, both from influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases during the 2018-19 season. The data for 2018-19 has also been compared to the data of the previous two seasons (2016-2017 and 2017-2018). Results During the 2018-19 season, a total number of 10,604 ILI and 5,261 SARI cases were reported to the national influenza sentinel surveillance system. From week 48 2018 to week 14 2019, a total of 713 ILI specimens were tested for influenza virus, and 10.7% were positive with majority influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus (57%). Similarly, a total of 1,004 SARI specimens were tested for influenza virus during this period, and 11% were positive for influenza with the majority caused by influenza A(H1N1) pdm09. Almost two-thirds (62%) of the ILI-influenza positive cases and 46% SARI-influenza positive cases aged less than five years. Also, over 50 years old patient was reported to have the second-highest proportion of SARI associated influenza (30%). Conclusion The findings indicate that the seasonal influenza virus results in considerable hospital visits, admissions, and deaths in Afghanistan. The data from this study will inform and guide policymakers in developing national influenza vaccination policies.

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confidence: 99%

The 2018-19 influenza season in Afghanistan: Epidemiology and Virology

Sahak¹,

Arifi²,

Hammond³

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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A Systematic Review of Influenza Epidemiology and Surveillance in the Eastern Mediterranean and North African Region

et al. 2022

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Seasonal influenza represents a huge health burden, resulting in significant mortality and morbidity. Following the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, focus has been directed on the burden of influenza globally. Country and regional disease burden estimates play important roles in helping inform decisions on national influenza intervention programmes. Despite improvements in influenza surveillance following the 2009 pandemic, many opportunities remain unexplored in the Eastern Mediterranean and North African (EMNA) region, which has a high prevalence of patients with chronic disease and thus a population at high risk of influenza complications. We conducted a systematic literature review of Embase, Medline, Scopus and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from 1 January 1998 to 31 January 2020 covering the EMNA region with the aim to describe the epidemiology of influenza in the region and assess the influenza epidemiological surveillance research landscape. Relevant data on study characteristics, population, clinical/virology characteristics and epidemiology were extracted and summarised descriptively. Of the 112 studies identified for inclusion, 90 were conducted in the Eastern Mediterranean region, 19 in North Africa and three across the EMNA region. Data were reported on 314,058 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases, 96 of which were derived from surveillance systems. Amongst the surveillance studies, the percentage of positive cases reported ranged from 1% to 100%. The predominantly identified influenza strain was strain A; H1N1 was the most prominent circulating subtype. Typing was performed in approximately 75% and subtyping in 50% of studies, respectively. Data on those considered most at risk for influenza complications were collected in 21% of studies, highlighting a regional gap for these data. Our review reveals existing gaps in regional estimates of influenza health and economic burden, hospitalisation rates and duration, and highlights the need for robust and high-quality epidemiology data to help inform public health interventions. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40121-021-00534-3.

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Capacity of the national influenza surveillance system in Afghanistan, a chronic conflict setting

Cited by 2 publications

References 7 publications

The 2018-19 influenza season in Afghanistan: Epidemiology and Virology

The 2018-19 influenza season in Afghanistan: Epidemiology and Virology

A Systematic Review of Influenza Epidemiology and Surveillance in the Eastern Mediterranean and North African Region

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