Project FluCov

Duration: 2021 - ongoing
FluCov: monitoring and communicating the impact of COVID-19 on influenza activity and assessing future influenza epidemics scenarios

Rationale

On 1 January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) requested information on a reported cluster of atypical pneumonia cases in Wuhan from the Chinese authorities. On 1 March 2020, WHO made the assessment that SARS-CoV-2 could be characterized as a pandemic. The emergence of this new virus has had a major impact on the global circulation of respiratory viruses, including influenza and RSV (see https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29402-5).

Aim

The aim of the research project is to document and communicate about:

the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on influenza activity
modelling future epidemic scenarios, with a focus on influenza activity
the measures to prevent and control influenza in the coming years (e.g. by vaccination).

Participating countries

A number of 22 contextual and geographical representative countries have been selected:

Africa (2): Egypt, South-Africa
America (4): Brazil, Canada, Mexico, USA
Europe (8): France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom
South Asia (4): India, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam
Pacific (5): Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan

Project design

The research project consists of four components:

establish a procedure to access and publish routine influenza (FluNet data) and SARS-CoV-2 surveillance data
implement a testing and laboratory practices survey of National Influenza Centres to assess how SARS-CoV-2 has impacted influenza surveillance capacity
collect influenza vaccination coverage rates in the selected countries (by risk group)
In collaboration with colleagues at EHESP, develop and apply a modelling strategy to produce scenarios on the possible resurgence of influenza activity in the coming years

Result: FluCov Dashboard, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on influenza

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 had a major impact on the global circulation of respiratory viruses, including influenza (see https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29402-5). In order to understand the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on influenza activity worldwide, the FluCov Dashboard offers users a clear view of the current and past circulation of both viruses (since 2019), in a wide range of countries all over the world. Real-time weekly surveillance weekly data are downloaded and presented in the Dashboard.

Results: publications

We share our research and findings by providing access to the FluCov Bulletins, posters, and survey results:

regular publication of the FluCov Bulletin: an epidemiological assessment of the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on influenza activity
creation of a dashboard which allows visitors to query the influenza and Sars-Cov-2 data themselves
an abstract regarding the epidemiological impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on influenza activity, which was submitted to ESCAIDE (European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology) in November 2021
two abstracts which were submitted to Options XI: 1) the NIC survey results and 2) the modelling study/strategy (by EHESP)

FluCov-Bulletins (starting in June 2021)

InFluNews (Newsletter Global Influenza Initiative GII)

InFluNews, issue 1 - February 2022

Posters

FluCov EpiBulletin, presented at WHO-ISIRV conference "COVID-19, Influenza and RSV: Surveillance-Informed Prevention and Treatment, 19-21 October 2021
FluCov NIC Survey, presented at OPTIONS XI, 26-29 September 2022
EU5 Modelling to produce influenza activity scenarios, presented at OPTIONS XI, 26-29 September 2022

Scientific publications

2023 | Preparing for the upcoming 2022/23 influenza season: A modelling study of the susceptible population in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Boudewijns, B., Paget, J. Del Riccio, M., Coudeville, L., Crépey, P. Influenza Other Respi Viruses. 2023
2021 | Letter to the editor: Increase of influenza vaccination coverage rates during the COVID-19 pandemic and implications for the upcoming influenza season in northern hemisphere countries and Australia. Del Riccio M, Lina B, Caini S, Staadegaard L, Wiegersma S, Kynčl J, Combadière B, MacIntyre CR, Paget J. Euro Surveill. 2021

Presentations

GII-MENA-RAISE Survey – Results

Reports

Nivel project team

Participating Nivel researchers are:

John Paget PhD, senior scientist
Bronke Boudewijns, junior researcher
Marco Del Riccio, researcher
Willemijn van Waarden, data scientist
Saverio Caini MD, PhD, guest researcher

Project partners

The Global Influenza Initiative (GII)
École des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique (EHESP)
Funding
The research project is funded by Sanofi. The current research grant runs until 31 July 2023.

Want to know more?

For more information on this project, please feel free to get in touch with the Nivel expert(s) involved. You will find them on the right, together with the (future) Nivel deliverables (publications) and other relevant content.

Paget, J. Project FluCov . From: www.nivel.nl [Last update 15-May-2023; consulted on 28-May-2023]. URL: https://www.nivel.nl/en/dossier-epidemiology-respiratory-viruses/project-flucov