Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and SARS-CoV-2
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) detection rates peaked in March and declined steadily during April across all age groups, with the exception of the 0-12 month olds where detection rates remained above 35% throughout April.
- The increase in influenza A positivity noted in March continued during April, reaching 19.1% nationally in week 17 (week ending 29 April). Of the samples where molecular typing was available, the majority were influenza A/H3. The detection rate remained below 4% in infants under 1 year of age, while increased rates were noted across all other age groups. The majority of the positive samples derived from adults aged 18-64 years, followed by children aged 1-5 years.
- Influenza B detection rates remained below 1%.
- SARS-CoV-2 percentage positivity was stable through April, ranging from 14.3-16.8%. Testing rates also remained stable and were low in comparison to this period in previous years. Approximately 90% of the positive SARS-CoV-2 samples originated from adults aged 19-64 years (60.5%) and ≥65 years (29.4%).
Other respiratory viruses
• No marked changes were noted in the circulation of the other respiratory viruses during the reporting period.
April 2023 clients@pathcare.co.za www.pathcare.co.za