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When the COVID-19 Pandemic Surges during Influenza Season: Lessons Learnt from the Sentinel Laboratory-Based Surveillance of Influenza-Like Illness in Lombardy during the 2019-2020 Season.
- Source :
-
Viruses [Viruses] 2021 Apr 16; Vol. 13 (4). Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Apr 16. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- This paper outlines the role of Lombardy's regional influenza reference laboratory (Northern Italy) in the surveillance of influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) in monitoring SARS-CoV-2 circulation by analyzing 631 consecutive nasopharyngeal swabs (NPSs) collected from ILI outpatients by sentinel physicians during the 2019-2020 season. The samples were tested by specific real-time RT-PCRs targeting SARS-CoV-2, influenza viruses, and RSVs. Results: Of these NPSs, 31% tested positive for influenza viruses, 10% for SARS-CoV-2, and 7% for RSV. No coinfections were detected. Influenza viruses and RSVs circulated throughout the surveillance period until the end of February (week 9-2020), when they suddenly ceased to circulate seven weeks earlier than during the previous five influenza seasons. After the first detection of SARS-CoV-2 in our ILI outpatients at the beginning of March (week 10-2020), SARS-CoV-2 remained the only virus identified throughout the surveillance period. Patients ≥ 65 years had a 3.2-fold greater risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2, while school-age children (5-14 years) and children < 5 years proved to be the age groups most at risk of contracting influenza viruses and RSV, respectively. Our experience demonstrates that laboratory-based ILI surveillance networks are essential for identifying SARS-CoV-2 cases that would otherwise remain undetected, in order to stop their spread within our communities.
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
COVID-19 diagnosis
COVID-19 virology
Child
Child, Preschool
Coinfection virology
Epidemiological Monitoring
Female
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Influenza A virus isolation & purification
Influenza, Human diagnosis
Influenza, Human virology
Italy epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Molecular Epidemiology
Pandemics
Population Surveillance
SARS-CoV-2 isolation & purification
Seasons
Sentinel Surveillance
Young Adult
COVID-19 epidemiology
Coinfection epidemiology
Influenza, Human epidemiology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1999-4915
- Volume :
- 13
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Viruses
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 33923819
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/v13040695