Health Alerts

Influenza detections across the region have risen since the beginning of the year, however, according to Flu News Europe, for the week Jan 6-12 they largely remained at baseline or low levels – the exceptions being high activity in Turkey and Israel, and medium in Ireland, Wales, Latvia and some eastern Mediterranean countries. On a global level, the WHO update which takes in data to Jan 5 stated that ‘seasonal influenza A viruses accounted for the majority of detections’, however, more than one-third of all infections were due to B viruses (mostly B-Victoria lineage). Flu activity was on the increase in North America (all subtypes circulating), Central (B viruses predominate) and East Asia (overall increase with 3-year high for this time in China and Japan), Western Asia (elevated overall), Central/South America (increased detections in Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia) and SE Asia (continued or increasing levels in Laos, Malaysia and Singapore). Read more.