Flu Epidemic Surges in Morocco, Young Adults Most Affected

The 60 and over age group represents 15%, the under 5s 16.8% and the 5 to 14 age group 17.4%, according to the Ministry of Health. As for virus surveillance, it was reported that, from the week of September 9, 2019 to the week of December 15, 2019, 384 nasopharyngeal samples were taken, of which 45.6% were Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) and 54.4% were influenza-like illness, for analysis at the ministry’s reference laboratory.

Out of the 384 samples analyzed, the virological investigation allowed the characterization of 119 influenza viruses, including 1 A (H1N1) pdm ⁰⁹ subtype virus, 2 A (H3N2) subtype viruses and 116 type B viruses (97.5%).

Among the 384 samples tested, the age groups of 2 to 5 years and 5 to 15 years record the highest positivity rates, which are respectively 45.8 and 62.5%, for this season as for the previous one. This situation would be mainly due to a strong school exposure. The only A (H1N1) pdm ⁰⁹ subtype case is in the 2 to 5 age group, explains aujourd’hui. ma.

Morocco takes the flu epidemic very seriously, with surveillance ensured by a sentinel system set up by the Ministry of Health. Its objectives are to monitor the evolution of seasonal flu and estimate the morbidity and mortality burden, as well as to identify the circulating viruses and monitor their sensitivity to antivirals.

This surveillance system is based on two main components, namely the clinical surveillance of influenza-like illness (ILI) and the epidemiological and virological surveillance of ILI and SARI. As for the first component, it is carried out through an outpatient network of 412 public health centers, distributed in all provinces and prefectures and serving a population of nearly 12 million inhabitants.

The second component, on the other hand, is handled at the level of 8 health centers and 8 hospitals in Tangier, Rabat, Fez, Marrakech, Meknes, Beni Mellal, Oujda and Agadir, as well as through a network of 28 private practice physicians.