Publications by authors named "Abbas Rahal"
Background: Availability of new vaccines for adults has increased interest in understanding Canada's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) burden in older adults and adults considered at high risk of severe infection.
Objective: To characterize the burden of RSV disease in Canada by joint analysis of the published literature and hospitalization data from a healthcare administrative database.
Methods: Electronic databases of published literature were searched to identify studies and systematic reviews reporting data on outpatient visits, hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and deaths associated with RSV infection in adults.
Article Synopsis
- The 2023-2024 influenza epidemic started in week 45, primarily driven by influenza A(H1N1), but by week 14, influenza B/Victoria became the dominant strain as influenza A cases decreased.
- A significant portion of influenza B cases affected younger populations, with over half of detections and nearly half of hospitalizations occurring in children aged 0-19.
- The ongoing discussion about the removal of the influenza B/Yamagata strain from vaccines highlights the need for surveillance to prepare for new seasonal patterns driven by influenza B/Victoria.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the need for robust surveillance of respiratory viruses. Syndromic surveillance continues to be an important surveillance component recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). While FluWatchers, Canada's syndromic surveillance system, has been in place since 2015, the COVID-19 pandemic provided a valuable opportunity to expand the program's scope and underlying technology infrastructure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoinciding with the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020, Canadian seasonal influenza circulation was suppressed, which was a trend reported globally. Canada saw a brief and delayed return of community influenza circulation during the spring of the 2021-2022 influenza season. Surveillance for Canada's 2022-2023 seasonal influenza epidemic began in epidemiological week 35 (week starting August 28, 2022) and ended in epidemiological week 34 (week ending August 26, 2023).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCanada's 2022-2023 national influenza epidemic was declared in epidemiological week 43 (week ending October 29, 2022), relatively early in comparison to historical seasons. This year marks the return to pre-pandemic-like influenza circulation, following the brief and delayed influenza epidemic declared in the spring of the 2021-2022 season. To date this season, 59,459 detections of influenza have been reported out of 456,536 tests; both values exceeding historical averages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCanadian seasonal influenza circulation had been suppressed since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This suppression was reported globally and generated concern that the return of community influenza circulation could be intense and that co-circulation of influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was possible and potentially severe. Community circulation of influenza returned to Canada during the 2021-2022 influenza season.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Surveillance for the 2021-2022 seasonal influenza in Canada began in late August 2021 amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with some influenza activity returning, including hospitalizations, but no confirmed outbreaks as of January 1, 2022.
- - A total of 429 sporadic influenza cases were reported across multiple provinces, with nearly half of the cases occurring in children under 19 and most detections being of influenza A, specifically A(H3N2).
- - Most strains identified were seasonal, with only one strain matching the 2021-2022 vaccine recommendations; all strains were sensitive to antiviral medications, indicating effective treatment options available.