Status of influenza in the WHO South-East Asia Region – 2022

Overview

Successful implementation of the Global Influenza Strategy (2019–2030), PIP framework, and End-toEnd Integration of SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza Sentinel Surveillance Guidance were integral for Member States to optimise the response to multiple respiratory pathogens of epidemic and pandemic potential including influenza in SEAR in 2022. Against this background, the compendium presents a summary of the influenza landscape in Member States in the WHO South-East Asia Region in 2022 in terms of:

¤ Surveillance, monitoring and data utilisation – including both epidemiological and virological surveillance, the status and function of National Influenza Centres and Public Health Laboratories, and data reporting to contribute to national, regional, and global evidence generation and policy formulation.

¤ Influenza prevention and control – including seasonal influenza vaccination and the use of antivirals in SEAR MS

¤ Pandemic preparedness and response – including development, updating, and testing of national influenza pandemic preparedness plans

¤ Research and innovation – including influenza burden of disease and vaccine effectiveness estimates that leverage the data collected in sentinel surveillance systems

¤ Integration of influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 surveillance (and Respiratory Syncytial Viruses (RSV) surveillance in pilot countries namely India, Thailand, and Nepal)