PUBLIC HEALTH SURVEILLANCE BULLETIN

The Public Health Surveillance Bulletin is a quarterly publication which provides information on surveillance activities, which enables effective monitoring of rates and distribution of diseases, detection of outbreaks, monitoring of interventions, and predicting emerging hazards. The Surveillance Reports are analyses and interpretation of surveillance data, primarily from notifiable medical conditions.

November 2022, Vol. 20 (ISSUE 2)

Editor’s Note

Syndromic respiratory illness surveillance programmes coordinated by the NICD include pneumonia surveillance and two influenza-like illness (ILI) programmes: systematic ILI surveillance at public health clinics (ILI-PHC surveillance programme) and the Viral Watch programme (ILI-Viral Watch) at private practices.

Two reports in this issue detail influenza surveillance in South Africa for the period 2020 – 2021 and for weeks 1 through 32 of 2022, bringing ‘flu surveillance information up to date. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 has seen a return of South Africa’s typical influenza season with the B/Victoria and A(H3N2) viruses predominating. Individuals, and especially those in high-risk categories, are therefore encouraged to receive the annual ‘flu vaccine.

Also in this issue is the malaria vector surveillance report for 2021. The period under review confirmed the perennial presence of four malaria vector mosquito species and the occurrence of several other Anopheles species that may also be contributing to malaria transmission in South Africa. Given South Africa’s aim to eliminate malaria in the near future, periodic assessments of malaria risk and receptivity by vector surveillance is strongly recommended.

This is the final issue for 2022 and we wish all our readers and contributors a safe and joyous holiday season.

Basil Brooke

PUBLIC HEALTH SURVEILLANCE BULLETIN- (NOV 2022)

IN THIS ISSUE

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