Epidemiology of influenza from sentinel hospital–based laboratory surveillance system, Thailand, 2017–2021

Abstract

Background: Influenza is an acute respiratory infection and one of the most important diseases. Thus, an effective influenza surveillance system is necessary cause of the influenza virus has been changed all the time. Division of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control, Thailand has conducted sentinel hospital–based laboratory surveillance system for respiratory diseases to monitor causative agents causing influenza disease also to detect and responses for the emerging and re–emerging infectious diseases.
Methods: The descriptive epidemiological study from laboratory surveillance data for influenza infections. Between year 2017–2021, Data analysis using STATA. Binary Logistic Regression were used to assess the relationships between related variables and the detection of influenza virus.
Results: There were 18,190 cases reported and positive results for influenza 3,574 cases (19.65%). There were 9,465 cases with epidemiological data. Most of the patients were children aged 0–4 years, 32.67%. The most symptoms were fever 84.12%, cough 83.22%, and runny or stuffy nose 68.98%. The factors significantly associated with the influenza detection were age group, nationality and occupation, having a history of care or close contact with patients with Influenza–like illness or pneumonia and suspected influenza/pneumonia patients receiving treatment in clusters.
Conclusions: Influenza disease occurs among all age groups. Patients can often be found all year round. Some age groups, occupations, and people with a history of risk of influenza infection, such as care or close contact with patients, tend to be more likely to get infected with influenza than other groups. Therefore, personal protection such as wearing a mask, washing hands, avoiding close contact with respiratory patients or places crowded. It reduces the risk of illness from influenza and other respiratory diseases. Influenza vaccination can reduce the severity of the disease and the chances of being hospitalized.