AUTHOR=Asante Ivy Asantewaa , Nyarko Stephen Ofori , Awuku-Larbi Yaw , Obeng Richard Asomadu , Sarpong Gifty Mawuli , Amenuvor Esinam Aku Apefa , Adusei-Poku Mildred , Boatemaa Linda , Magnusen Vanessa , Wutsika Jennifer , Ago Samuel , Kwasah Lorreta , Wordui Juliet , Tackie Roberta Aprilyn , Laryea Dennis Odai , Asiedu-Bekoe Franklin , Asiedu William , Mingle Daniel Lartei , Nyarko Edward Owusu , Fox Anne , Nimo-Paintsil Shirley C. , Attram Naiki , Sanders Terrel , Ampofo William Kwabena 

TITLE=Decreased influenza activity during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana, 2020

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1290553

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1290553

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant effect on influenza activity globally. In this study, we analyzed trends of influenza activity in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. This was a crosssectional study using active prospective influenza surveillance data from 29 sentinel sites. At the sentinel sites, we enrolled patients presenting with symptoms based on the WHO case definition for influenzalike illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI). Oro and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from patients and tested for the presence of influenza viruses using specific primers and probes described by the US-CDC. The percentage of positivity for influenza between 2017-2019 and 2021 was compared to 2020. Using the test for proportions in STATA 17.0 we estimated the difference in influenza activities between the two periods.