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. 2024 May;18(5):e13313.
doi: 10.1111/irv.13313.

The Detection of Influenza Virus Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Cameroon

Gwladys Chavely Monamele  1   2 , Desmon Toutou Tsafack  1   3 , Chanceline Ndongo Bilounga  4 , Mohamadou Njankouo Ripa  1 , Christian Nsangou Yogne  5 , Hermann Landry Munshili Njifon  5 , Felix Nkom  6 , Ubald Tamoufe  6 , Linda Esso  4 , Fancioli Koro Koro  3 , Ronald Perraut  5 , Richard Njouom  1
Affiliations

The Detection of Influenza Virus Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Cameroon

Gwladys Chavely Monamele et al. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2024 May.

Abstract

Background: Influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are both respiratory viruses with similar clinical manifestations and modes of transmission. This study describes influenza data before and during the coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) in Cameroon and SARS-CoV-2 data during the pandemic period.

Methods: The study ran from 2017 to 2022, and data were divided into two periods: before (2017-2019) and during (2020-2022) the COVID-19 pandemic. Nasopharyngeal samples collected from persons with respiratory illness were tested for influenza using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) typing and subtyping assays. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the respiratory specimens were simultaneously tested for SARS-CoV-2 using the DaAn gene protocol or the Abbott real-time SARS-CoV-2 assay. The WHO average curve method was used to compare influenza virus seasonality before and during the pandemic.

Results: A total of 6246 samples were tested. Influenza virus detection rates were significantly higher in the pre-pandemic period compared to the pandemic period (30.8% vs. 15.5%; p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the SARS-CoV-2 detection rate was 2.5%. A change in the seasonality of influenza viruses was observed from a bi-annual peak before the pandemic to no clear seasonal pattern during the pandemic. The age groups 2-4 and 5-14 years were significantly associated with higher influenza positivity rates in both pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. For SARS-CoV-2, all age groups above 15 years were the most affected population.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the seasonal influenza by changing the seasonality of the virus and reducing its detection rates.

Keywords: COVID‐19 pandemic; Cameroon; SARS‐CoV‐2; epidemiology; influenza.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Map showing location of sentinel sites.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Influenza viruses detected before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Average curves of influenza seasons before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Cameroon. (A) Time series of influenza modelled with the WHO average curve method for the 2017–2019 seasons. (B) 2019–2020 influenza season against modelled average curves. (C) 2020–2021 influenza season against modelled average curves. (D) 2021–2022 influenza season against modelled average curves. (E) 2022 influenza season against modelled average curves.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. “Celebrating 70 Years of GISRS (the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System),” accessed May 2, 2023, https://www.who.int/news/item/03‐02‐2022‐2022‐celebrating‐70‐years‐of‐gi...).
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    1. “WHO Coronavirus (COVID‐19) Dashboard,” accessed May 5, 2023, https://covid19.who.int.
    1. “Cameroon COVID‐19 Situation Report N°175,” CCOUSP, accessed May 2, 2023, https://www.ccousp.cm/download/rapport‐situation‐covid‐19‐cameroun‐n175/.

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