Virology & Mycology
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0517
+44 1223 790975
ISSN: 2161-0517
+44 1223 790975
Zorraga Mokhtar
Posters-Accepted Abstracts: Virol-mycol
Influenzasurveillancein Tunisiahas been in place since 1999 with the creationofnetworksentinel sites,but ithas developed significantlyon March2014, withthe implementationofelectronic surveillance system.In Tunisia, clinical, epidemiologicaland virological surveillanceof influenzabegan inweek40/2014 (1 October 2014) and ended in week 18/2015 (30 April 2015). During the periodof study:123 719casesILI(Influenza-like illness) were collectedfrom a total of1 619 146patients seenatsentinel sites, representing 7.7% of total patients. The influenza epidemic was spreading in the winter season2014/2015 during eight weeks from 18 January 2015(2015 / S3) to 17 March 2015 (2015/ S11), it was as ordinary as the last five seasonal epidemics.The epidemic peakwas observedduring the week of16 to 21 February 2015 (2015/ S08), with an incidence rate of 10.7%.On the otherhand,Influenzaepidemic of2014- 2015season was mild in intensity and started earlier than that of the previous year. These findings were also observed in Europe and in USA. Among the consultants for influenza-like illness (ILI), 263 severe cases (0.2%) were hospitalized; significantly higher proportion than the previous season.The lethalityof severe caseswas higher than that observedin theprevious season (3%), thesesevere caseswere mainlyinfected withA (H1N1) pmd09 virus.All of the24governorates of Tunisia have been affected bythe influenza andthe incidenceis higherin regions thatare the most populated. Children 5to 16 years aremost affected. Epidemiological surveillanceof influenza onthe Tunisian territoryhas shownthat theepidemic peakwas recorded duringthe coldest weeks (S08), in fact there is an inversetrendof monthly averagetemperature andinfluenzaincidence, thisremarkable correlationshowsthat the rateof influenzaincidence increasedas the temperatures gradually decline. The hypothesisthat the virusis favored bylow temperatures and inhibited by higher temperatures is confirmed in our study.Influenza virus type B, A (H1N1) and A(H3N2) circulated with an initial dominance of type B virus that was reversed in favor of the type A (H1N1) pmd09 in the beginning of February.The seasonal distribution of three types of influenza viruses was: Virus B (58.4%), A (H1N1) pmd09(28.4%),Virus A (H3N2) (13.2%), The positivity rate for influenza was 28.4%.
Zorraga Mokhtar has completed medicine studies at the age of 28 years from El Manar University, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis. He has Doctoral thesis in Medicine on 5-07-2001, Master of Advanced Studies in Emergency in the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis on 2012,Master of Advanced Studies in Travel medecine in the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis on 2014,ALS (Advanced life support) certificate of European Resuscitation Council at March 2013.He is the coordinator of influenza program in Tunisia that supported by US / CDC, part of InPRIS project (Building and Strenghtening Core Capacities for Influenza Preparedness and Response in Support of International Health Regulation (2005) implementation in selected countries.He has published some papers in reputed journals, the last one in EID journal ( emerging infectious desaease) / CDC : �??Family Cluster of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infections, Tunisia, 2013�?� on September 2014.