Impact of the COVID‐19 Pandemic on Influenza Circulation During the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Seasons, in Europe

• Published in: Influenza and other respiratory viruses 2024-05, Vol.18 (5), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Sinnathamby, Mary A., Meslé, Margaux M. I., Pebody, Richard, Bino, Silvia, Hasibra, Iris, Khachtryan, Evgenia, Redlberger‐Fritz, Monika, Mursalova, Nazifa, Aliyeva, Firuza, Vysotskaya, Veronika, Shmialiova, Natallia, Karaban, Inna, Bossuyt, Nathalie, Barbezange, Cyril, Musa, Sanja, Vukmir, Nina Rodić, Ljubović, Amela Dedeić, Baštinac, Dijana, Vladimirov, Nadezhda, Tabain, Irena, Petrović, Goranka, Karagiannis, Christos, Haralambous, Christos, Jirincova, Helena, Kyncl, Jan, Trebbien, Ramona, Vestergaard, Lasse Skafte, Eero, Irina, Lyytikäinen, Outi, Nohynek, Hanna, Fournier, Lucie, Guerrisi, Caroline, Valette, Martine, Machablishvili, Ani, Buda, Silke, Dürrwald, Ralf, Gioula, Georgia, Mary, Emmanouil, Mellou, Kassiani, Molnár, Zsuzsanna, Aspelund, Guðrún, O’Donnell, Joan, Domegan, Lisa, Connell, Jeff, Puzelli, Simona, Palamara, Anna Teresa, Maraglino, Francesco, Smagulova, Smagulova Meiramgul Kanapiyanovna, Kalaveshi, Ariana, Gunga, Zana Kaçaniku, Otorbaeva, D. S, Abdyldaeva, S. Zh, Esengeldiev, G. M, Vasiļevska, Darja, Savicka, Oksana, Gargasiene, Greta, Muralyte, Svajune, Abdelrahman, Tamir T., Melillo, Tanya, Zahra, Graziella, Melillo, Jackie, Medenica, Sanja, Lange, Marit, Meijer, Adam, Kochinski, Dragan, Boshevska, Golubinka, Brydak, Lidia B., Hallmann, Ewelina, Verdasca, Nuno, Guiomar, Raquel, Druc, Alina, Apostol, Mariana, Popovici, Odette, Komissarov, Andrey B., Fadeev, Artem, Stolyarov, Kirill, Protic, Jelena, Staroňová, Edita, Prosenc, Katarina, Berginc, Nataša, Appelqvist, Emma, Carnahan, AnnaSara, Spedaliero, Tania, Jafarov, Navaruz, Safarova, Tamanno, Barotova, Barno, Kovalchuk, Tatyana, Altas, Ayse Basak, Avci, Emine, Ozdemir, Betul, Dykhanovska, Tetiana, Koshako, Oksana, Watson, Conall, Zambon, Maria, Lakhani, Anissa, Bradley, Declan T., Curran, Tanya, Cottrell, Simon, Kudasheva, Lyudmila, Pleshkov, Boris
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Circulation; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 diagnostic tests; COVID‐19 pandemic; Disease transmission; Epidemiology; Europe; Health surveillance; Infections; Influenza; non‐sentinel; Pandemics; Primary care; Public health; Seasons; sentinel; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; severity; surveillance; Surveillance systems; Viral diseases; Viruses
• ISSN: 1750-2640; 1750-2659
• DOI: 10.1111/irv.13297

ABSTRACT Background The emergence of SARS‐CoV‐2 in late 2019 saw the implementation of public health and social measures (PHSM) by countries across Europe to reduce its transmission and impact on populations. Consequently, countries reported changes in influenza circulation and extensive disruptions to routine surveillance systems. Methods We describe the epidemiology of influenza in Europe between Weeks 40/2020 and 39/2022 compared to the 2016/17 to 2019/20 seasons, to assess the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic and PHSM on surveillance systems and influenza circulation. Results Low detections of influenza were observed through primary care sentinel sources during seasonal influenza periods (Week 40 to 20); 56 (of 39,457 specimens tested;