Epidemiology and Outcome of Influenza-associated Infections Among Hospitalized Patients with Acute Respiratory Infections, Egypt National Surveillance System, 2016-2019

Overview

Journal Influenza Other Respir Viruses

Publisher Wiley

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2021 May 7

PMID 33960675

Citations 9

Authors

Manal Fahim

Basma AbdElGawad

Hossam Hassan

Amel Naguib

ElSabbah Ahmed

Salma Afifi

Hanaa Abu ElSood

Amira Mohsen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction: Egypt has established different types of surveillance systems to monitor influenza activities, early detect outbreaks, and tailor efficient prevention and control strategies. This is the first study to describe epidemiology and outcome of influenza-associated infections among hospitalized patients using the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS) data, 2016-2019.

Methods: Data reported from 284 hospitals all over Egypt were extracted from the NEDSS. Data of hospitalized patients with Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI), 2016-2019, were included in the analysis. Laboratory testing for influenza by RT-PCR according to US CDC testing protocol was used to confirm influenza type and subtype.

Results: Overall 46 417 patients hospitalized with ARI were identified, their mean age was 30.9 ± 26 and 52.9% were males. Among 41 512 (89.4%) laboratory-tested patients, 7167 (17.3%) were positive for one or more types of influenza viruses. Influenza viruses circulated in all ages and throughout the year, with higher rates in winter, late childhood, and middle ages. Mortality from influenza was significantly higher than other causes of ARIs (5.0% vs 3.8%, P < .001), and it was associated with older ages, December-May, delay in hospital admission, residence in urban and frontier governorates and infection with A/H1N1 virus. The distribution of influenza subtype by time shows alternate pattern between A/H1N1 and H3N2, each subtype peaks every other year with a high peak of A/H1N1 in 2016.

Conclusions: The national Egyptian surveillance succeeded to describe the epidemiology of hospitalized patients with ARIs and influenza in Egypt over time. Surveillance with strain-specific laboratory testing and annual assessment of associated severity might be useful to guide influenza prevention and control strategies including vaccination and case management.

Citing Articles

The National Burden of Influenza-Associated Respiratory Illness Across Levels of Severity in Egypt, 2016-2019.

Fahim M, Deghedy O, Alim W, Kamel R, Hassan H, Mohsen A Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2024; 18(12):e70061.

PMID: 39722214 PMC: 11669627. DOI: 10.1111/irv.70061.

Incidence of influenza virus-associated Severe Acute Respiratory Infections in three districts in 2018 at Gharbia governorate, Egypt.

Hassan H, Kandeel A, Fahim M, ElSood H, Elghazaly S, Kamel R PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024; 4(5):e0003152.

PMID: 38701044 PMC: 11068184. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003152.

Comparative analysis of COVID-19 and influenza prevalence among Egyptian pilgrims returning from Hajj and Umrah in 2022: epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and genomic sequencing.

Kandeel A, Fahim M, Deghedy O, BahaaEldin H, Roshdy W, Khalifa M Arch Public Health. 2024; 82(1):6.

PMID: 38216978 PMC: 10785524. DOI: 10.1186/s13690-023-01229-6.

Multicenter study to describe viral etiologies, clinical profiles, and outcomes of hospitalized children with severe acute respiratory infections, Egypt 2022.

Kandeel A, Fahim M, Deghedy O, Roshdy W, Khalifa M, El Shesheny R Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):21860.

PMID: 38071208 PMC: 10710477. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48814-x.

Resurgence of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus in Egypt following two years of decline during the COVID-19 pandemic: outpatient clinic survey of infants and children, October 2022.

Kandeel A, Fahim M, Deghedy O, Roshdy W, Khalifa M, El Shesheny R BMC Public Health. 2023; 23(1):1067.

PMID: 37277781 PMC: 10240446. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15880-9.

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