Influenza A(H3N2) and Influenza B. During the winter of
1985-1986, influenza outbreaks in the Northern Hemisphere were
associated primarily with virus types A(H3N2) and B, as they were
in
the United States. Both influenza A(H3N2) and B have been reported
from Western Europe (France, the Federal Republic of Germany,
Italy,
the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom) and
Scandinavia
(Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) and from the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics (USSR), Eastern Europe, and the Balkans
(Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Yugoslavia). Influenza
A(H3N2)
was reported from Belgium, Bulgaria, and Greece. Influenza B was
reported from the German Democratic Republic. Elsewhere in the
Northern Hemisphere, influenza A(H3N2) virus was isolated in the
People's Republic of China (PRC), the Democratic People's Republic
of
Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan; influenza B was isolated in the PRC,
Iran, Israel, the Republic of Korea, and Tunisia. Thus far during
1986, occasional isolations of influenza A(H3N2) and B have been
reported from the Southern Hemisphere. A single influenza A(H3N2)
isolate was reported from Australia in April. Both influenza
A(H3N2)
and B viruses were reported from New Guinea in February, and
influenza
B was reported from Madagascar in March and from Taiwan in April.
Influenza A(H1N1). During the winter of 1985-1986, influenza
A(H1N1) viruses were infrequently reported from Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia, the USSR, the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea,
and the PRC. However, since late March, influenza A(H1N1) has been
increasingly reported from areas of Southeast Asia. Malaysia and
Hong
Kong have experienced localized outbreaks, and Singapore and Taiwan
have reported regional epidemics of influenza A(H1N1).
Reported by National Influenza Centers, Microbiology and Immunology
Support Svcs, World Health Organization, Geneva; WHO Collaborating
Center for Influenza, Influenza Br, Div of Viral Diseases, Center
for
Infectious Diseases, CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: The occurrence of influenza in the tropics and the
Southern Hemisphere between April and September frequently
indicates
the influenza type that may occur in the Northern Hemisphere during
the subsequent winter. The recent increase in circulation of
influenza A(H1N1) virus in Southeast Asia suggests that it may
appear
in the United States during the 1986-1987 influenza season after an
almost total absence during the last two seasons. In 1977,
influenza
A(H1N1) circulated widely in humans for the first time in 20 years
and
was associated with outbreaks in children and young adults.
Persons
born before the mid-1950s have generally been protected, presumably
due to immunity to the virus developed earlier in life. Because it
is
unknown whether A(H1N1) viruses will evolve into variants capable
of
causing severe illness in the elderly, current influenza vaccines
are
formulated to include an A(H1N1) strain, in addition to influenza
A(H3N2) and influenza B. Surveillance from countries outside
Southeast Asia will provide further information during the next few
months as to the relative circulation of influenza A(H1N1) viruses
compared with influenza A(H3N2) and influenza B strains. The
recommendations for the use of available vaccines and the antiviral
agent amantadine were recently published (1).
Reference
ACIP. Prevention and control of influenza. MMWR
1986;35:317-26,331,419.
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