Attachments
Alerts :
- AFR: Fiji (5), FSM (1)
- Influenza Like Illness: Kiribati (1084)
Respiratory virus epidemiology in the Pacific Island Countries for EPI – WK 26, 2024
- PSSS, EPI -WK26, 2024 Influenza-like Illness (ILI), Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI), and COVID-19-like cases are compared to WK25 and tabulated as below for easy comparison (▼ Decreasing ▲ Increasing ● Stable). To provide additional context on the figures and trends, the percentage of country sentinel sites reporting WK25 & WK26 are also included. Reporting below 80% is indicated as ▼low reporting and – is no report available.
- Please refer Seasonal Influenzafor Pacific Island Countries and Areas - ILI Surveillance
- Attached is the weekly bulletin for your reference and additional information.
- Actual increases in the number of ILI cases has been seen in Kiribati, RMI, FSM and New Caledonia. Additionally, the number of SARI cases increased in Kiribati, French Polynesia, CNMI and Samoa. Increased COVID-19 cases seen in Niue, French Polynesia and Samoa for the week.
- The reduction in the number of ILI cases has been seen in Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue and CNMI. The decreased ILI cases seen in Samoa and Vanuatu may be due to the increased number of sites reporting for the week. Furthermore, the number of SARI cases decreased in Fiji for the week. Decreased COVID-19 cases seen in Cook Islands, RMI and FSM for the week.
- No ILI cases reported from Niue, no SARI cases reported from Cook Islands, RMI, FSM, New Caledonia, Niue and Vanuatu. Furthermore, no COVID-19 cases were identified in Fiji, Kiribati, RMI, FSM, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu for the week.
- No reports were available from Wallis & Futuna, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Tuvalu, Tokelau and Tonga for the week.
- American Samoa and Nauru have not participated in the surveillance.
- Surveillance figures are not intended to capture all country cases but to describe trends over time and are invaluable when trends rise beyond country baselines which should then trigger alerts and timely actions to characterize the actual nature and magnitude of the disease.
Influenza and Other Respiratory Virus in PICs:
- In Week 26, French Polynesia reported nine (9) new cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza out of 86 samples tested. All nine cases tested positive for Influenza A, while no samples were positive for Influenza B. Three cases were admitted to hospitals, and no deaths were reported. Additionally, 12 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed from 81 tests conducted during the week. Sequencing by the ILM indicates that since May, besides the JN.1 variant, the KP.2, KP.3, and KS.1 variants have been circulating in French Polynesia. KP.2, a variant of the FliRT family, is more contagious and derived from the JN.1 lineage. It is present in the United States and has been detected in Europe. Vaccines remain effective against FliRT variants, providing protection against severe forms of COVID-19. Source: Bulletin de surveillance sanitaire Polynésie française N° 26 – 2024.
- In Week 26 in Fiji, four new influenza A/H1pdm cases and four new RSV cases were identified out of 21 samples. No new COVID-19 cases were reported during this period.
- In Week 26, the CNMI reported 11 new COVID-19 cases, marking a significant 32% increase compared to the previous three weeks. One case required hospitalization. Additionally, laboratory testing confirmed six cases of influenza A out of 125 samples, and three cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) required hospitalization. No cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) were detected. The country continues its flu vaccine campaign and raises awareness through social media (Situation report WK26, 2024).
Avian Influenza Weekly Update :
Between 28 June to 4 July 2024, no new case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus was reported to WHO in the Western Pacific Region.
COVID -19
Global WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard 2024**.** Refer here
Please note that the COVID-19 Epidemiological Update will be provided every four weeks*.* Please refer to the linksituation-reportswhere disaggregated data is available for download.
WHO is currently tracking several SARS-CoV-2 variants, including:
- Five variants of interest (VOIs): XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, EG.5, BA.2.86 and JN.1
- Variants under monitoring (VUMs): JN.1.7, JN.1.18, KP.2 and KP.3
The Pacific Island Countries COVID-19 situation report from the Pacific COVID-19 JIMT is attached herewith as a reference for operational purposes. The slides contain data that are subject to change as investigations are ongoing, and sources of data are noted within the slides. Also refer to Pacific dashboard COVID-19 .
Dengue Like Illness:
- Latest Dengue Situation Updates for the Western Pacific from PSSS weekly report here Dengue. Out of 18 Pacific Island Countries and Areas (PICs) who provided surveillance data, Fiji (99), FSM (1), Solomon Islands (7) and Samoa (11) reported dengue-like-illness (DLI) cases for the week 26.
Dengue:
- French Polynesia: Since November 27, 2023, 71 lab-confirmed dengue cases have been reported, with recent cases mainly in Tahiti, Moorea, and Nuku-Hiva. Eight (8) new cases were identified in week 26, and one (1) more in week 27. Most cases have been serotyped as DENV-1, while DENV-2 was found in 90% of serotyped samples. Preventive and anti-vector measures are being implemented, especially in Nuku-Hiva, where all four recent cases are indigenous. The alert phase remains active, with the average age of affected individuals being 37 years. (Source: Bulletin de surveillance sanitaire Polynésie française N° 26- 2024).
- Samoa: Since November 2023, a total of 446 lab-confirmed dengue cases have been recorded. In week 24, 5 new cases were confirmed. No dengue-related deaths have been reported to date. The majority of cases are in the 20-29 age group. Dengue cases are densely distributed in the Apia Urban Area (AUA) and North West Upolu (NWU) regions.
Leptospirosis:
- In French Polynesia, 4 cases were confirmed out of 40 samples in week 26. Three confirmed cases and one probable case were reported in Tahiti (3) and Rangiroa (1). Since the beginning of the year, 117 cases have been reported, with 92 investigated. Among these, 84.8% reported the presence of rats at home or work, and 60.9% engaged in gardening or agricultural activities. Healthcare professionals are advised to prescribe an RT-PCR test immediately if leptospirosis is suspected, followed by probabilistic antibiotic therapy with amoxicillin.
Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) :
- CNMI reported 53 cases of confirmed and 25 cases of suspected HFMD between epi week 23 – 26. (Situation report WK26, 2024).
Mpox(monkeypox)
- From January to 1 July 2024, 92 cases of mpox have been reported from Australia. Majority of cases were reported from Victoria (56 cases) state. The cumulative cases as of 1 July 2024 are 262. Source
Multi-country outbreak of mpox, External situation report#34- 28 June 2024
- This is the 34th situation report for the multi-country outbreak of mpox, which provides details on the latest epidemiology. This edition also features significant developments, including a spotlight on the mpox situation in South Africa and important updates on the mpox vaccines space. Read here
Poliomyelitis:
Summary of new poliovirus this week Country updates as of 3 July 2024
- Pakistan: three WPV1 cases and 18 positive environmental samples
- Angola: one cVDPV2 case
- Benin: one cVDPV2 case
- Guinea: one cVDPV2 case
- Indonesia: four cVDPV2 cases
- Kenya: one cVDPV2-positive environmental sample
Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome
- In the first six months of 2024, Japan reported 1,019 cases, surpassing last year's total. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases warned of a rise in cases in March after 77 deaths, mostly among people over 50. For comparison, the U.S. reported 145 cases of STSS in 2021, according to the CDC. A record number of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) cases in Japan this year has drawn attention to the rare and potentially deadly infection. Source