Supplied by National Department of Health Picture: Sourced
South Africa is currently experiencing the annual influenza (flu) season which started in the week of 22 April 2024, and a number of flu strains are circulating causing severe health complications in some patients.
This has been confused with COVID-19 variant which has been in circulation with low level of transmissibility and severity.
The most commonly detected and circulating influenza subtype and lineage are A(H1N1) pdm09 previously known as “swine flu” because it was causing disease in pigs, followed by influenza B/Victoria and influenza A(H3N2).
This is not unusual as influenza A(H1N1) pdm09 has been circulating each season as one of the annual seasonal influenza strains since 2010. Influenza A virus is more severe in adults.
About 8 -10% of patients hospitalised for pneumonia and 25% of patients with flu-like illness (fever and cough) will test positive for influenza during the flu season in South Africa.
According to the NICD surveillance data, the numbers of influenza cases and positivity rates are increasing rapidly, but the transmission and impact remain at a moderate level of activity for both outpatient and hospitalised cases.
This means that while there is a lot of influenza circulating, it is still within the expected range for a normal influenza season.
Influenza may cause severe illness leading to hospitalisation or possibly death, especially among those who are at risk of severe influenza illness or complications.
High-risk groups include pregnant women (including 6 weeks after delivery), individuals living with HIV, those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, tuberculosis, heart disease, renal disease, and obesity, the elderly (aged≥ 65 years) and children <2 years old.
These groups of people are strongly encouraged to receive the influenza vaccine available freely at public health clinics or at a cost from privately healthcare providers and through pharmacies.
Ideally the influenza vaccine should be administered prior to the start of the influenza season because it takes about two weeks for antibodies to develop following vaccination, but it is not too late for people to get it to protect themselves and their loved ones against these viruses.
Non-pharmaceutical interventions such as covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, enough ventilation, regular hand wash with water and soap/sanitiser can help to minimise the spread of the disease.
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