Respiratory virus surveillance in the WHO African Region Epidemiological Week 43, October 19 to 25 2026

During the 43rd Epidemiological Week of October 19 to 25, 2026, in the WHO African Region, respiratory virus surveillance was conducted by 15 countries, including Algeria, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania. A total of 755 specimens were collected, with 743 tested for influenza. Out of the 755 specimens, 103 tested positive for influenza virus, comprising 13.9% positivity rate.

The identified influenza viruses were Influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 (36), Influenza A (H3) (5), Influenza A (subtyping not performed) (8), Influenza B (lineage not determined) (31), and Influenza B (Victoria) (23). SARS-CoV-2 surveillance was also carried out by 10 laboratories in the African Region, with 10 countries participating. Out of 622 specimens processed, 13 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, marking a positivity rate of 2.1%.

Cumulatively from weeks 1 to 43, the WHO African Region influenza laboratory network has tested 60,910 sentinel surveillance specimens for SARS-CoV-2, with 1,579 positive cases, resulting in a cumulative positivity rate of 2.6%.