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Temporal Patterns of Influenza A and B in Tropical and Temperate Countries: What Are the Lessons for Influenza Vaccination?

Authors :
Caini S
Andrade W
Badur S
Balmaseda A
Barakat A
Bella A
Bimohuen A
Brammer L
Bresee J
Bruno A
Castillo L
Ciblak MA
Clara AW
Cohen C
Cutter J
Daouda C
de Lozano C
De Mora D
Dorji K
Emukule GO
Fasce RA
Feng L
Ferreira de Almeida WA
Guiomar R
Heraud JM
Holubka O
Huang QS
Kadjo HA
Kiyanbekova L
Kosasih H
Kusznierz G
Lara J
Li M
Lopez L
Mai Hoang PV
Pessanha Henriques CM
Matute ML
Mironenko A
Moreno B
Mott JA
Njouom R
Nurhayati
Ospanova A
Owen R
Pebody R
Pennington K
Puzelli S
Quynh Le MT
Razanajatovo NH
Rodrigues A
Rudi JM
Tzer Pin Lin R
Venter M
Vernet MA
Wangchuk S
Yang J
Yu H
Zambon M
Schellevis F
Paget J
Source :
PloS one [PLoS One] 2016 Mar 31; Vol. 11 (3), pp. e0152310. Date of Electronic Publication: 2016 Mar 31 (Print Publication: 2016).
Publication Year :
2016

Abstract

Introduction: Determining the optimal time to vaccinate is important for influenza vaccination programmes. Here, we assessed the temporal characteristics of influenza epidemics in the Northern and Southern hemispheres and in the tropics, and discuss their implications for vaccination programmes.<br />Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of surveillance data between 2000 and 2014 from the Global Influenza B Study database. The seasonal peak of influenza was defined as the week with the most reported cases (overall, A, and B) in the season. The duration of seasonal activity was assessed using the maximum proportion of influenza cases during three consecutive months and the minimum number of months with ≥80% of cases in the season. We also assessed whether co-circulation of A and B virus types affected the duration of influenza epidemics.<br />Results: 212 influenza seasons and 571,907 cases were included from 30 countries. In tropical countries, the seasonal influenza activity lasted longer and the peaks of influenza A and B coincided less frequently than in temperate countries. Temporal characteristics of influenza epidemics were heterogeneous in the tropics, with distinct seasonal epidemics observed only in some countries. Seasons with co-circulation of influenza A and B were longer than influenza A seasons, especially in the tropics.<br />Discussion: Our findings show that influenza seasonality is less well defined in the tropics than in temperate regions. This has important implications for vaccination programmes in these countries. High-quality influenza surveillance systems are needed in the tropics to enable decisions about when to vaccinate.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1932-6203
Volume :
11
Issue :
3
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
PloS one
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
27031105
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152310