Talla N Nzussouo

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Momtaz O. Wasfy

Massachusetts General Hospital

William Ampofo

Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research

Afiwa W Halatoko

École Nationale d'Administration

Naiki Puplampu

Navrongo Health Research Centre

Williams Thelma

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Seydou Sourabié

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique

Komlan Kossi

Togolese Ministry of Health

Abiba Banla Kere

Togolese Ministry of Health

Essoya D Landoh

Togolese Ministry of Health

Michaela Clemens

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École Nationale d'Administration

Togolese Ministry of Health

United States Naval Medical Research Unit III

Naval Medical Research Command

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

University of Lomé

Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research

University of Ghana

San Antonio Military Medical Center

Naval Medical Research Unit Six

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Implementation of Influenza-like illness Sentinel Surveillance in Togo

BMC Public Health (2014)

Issaka Maman Kossi Badziklou Essoya D Landoh Afiwa W Halatoko Talla N Nzussouo

The emergence of avian influenza A/H5N1 in 2003 as well as the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 highlighted the need to establish influenza sentinel surveillance in Togo. The Ministry of Health decided to introduce Influenza to the list of diseases with epidemic potential. By April 2010, Togo was actively involved in influenza surveillance. This study aims to describe the implementation of ILI surveillance and results obtained from April 2010 to December 2012. Two sites were selected based on their accessibility and affordability to patients, their adequate specimen storage capacity and transportation system. Patients with ILI presenting at sentinel sites were enrolled by trained medical staff based on the World Health Organization (WHO) case definitions. Oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal samples were collected and they were tested at the National Influenza Reference Laboratory using a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) validated real time RT-PCR protocol. Laboratory results and epidemiological data were reported weekly and shared with all sentinel sites, Ministry of Health, Division of Epidemiology, WHO and CDC/NAMRU-3. From April 2010 to December 2012, a total of 955 samples were collected with 52% of the study population aged between 0 and 4 years. Of the 955 samples, 236 (24.7%) tested positive for influenza viruses; with 136 (14.2%) positive for influenza A and 100 (10.5%) positive for influenza B. The highest influenza positive percentage (30%) was observed in 5–14 years old and patients aged 0–4 and >60 years had the lowest percentage (20%). Clinical symptoms such as cough and rhinorrhea were associated more with ILI patients who were positive for influenza type A than influenza type B. Influenza viruses circulated throughout the year with the positivity rate peaking around the months of January, May and again in October; corresponding respectively to the dry-dusty harmattan season and the long and then the short raining season. The pandemic A (H1N1) pdm09 was the predominantly circulating strain in 2010 while influenza B was the predominantly circulating strain in 2011. The seasonal A/H3N2 was observed throughout 2012 year. This study provides information on influenza epidemiology in the capital city of Togo.

Christian ministry

Biostatistics

Pandemic

Disease Surveillance

Disease Control

Influenza-like illness

10.1186/1471-2458-14-981

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Citations (15)

Building Military Influenza Surveillance Capacity in West Africa

Military Medicine (2013)

Karl Kronmann William Ampofo Talla N Nzussouo Momtaz O. Wasfy Prince Agbenohevi

Militaries are especially susceptible to operationally important outbreaks of acute respiratory infections such as pandemic and seasonal influenza. In addition, militaries play important roles for State Parties working to meet International Health Regulations 2005, particularly in developing countries. In 2009, the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 joined with the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and the armed forces of Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Côte d'Ivoire to create or improve influenza surveillance capacities within the militaries. This article describes the process undertaken to achieve this goal. In the Ghana Armed Forces, influenza surveillance for outpatients was instituted at seven medical stations throughout the country and for inpatients at the tertiary referral hospital in Accra. As a result, military sites now contribute around half of the influenza cases detected in Ghana and reported weekly to the World Health Organization. Samples were also collected by the militaries of Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso, although political instability slowed progress. This effort is part of an ongoing strategy to build influenza surveillance capacity within West African militaries in support of military services, global outbreak investigations, International Health Regulations-2005, and the development of country-specific pandemic preparedness plans.

International Health Regulations

Preparedness

Pandemic

Capacity Building

10.7205/milmed-d-12-00273

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Citations (5)