Via CIDRAP, Lisa Schnirring writes: WHO report sums up Northern Hemisphere flu season. Click through for the full report and links. Excerpt:
The 2011-12 flu season in most temperate countries of the Northern Hemisphere started later than usual, except for North Africa, and was mild in many countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in a wrap-up report.
The circulating flu strains varied widely by country and even by region, according to WHO report, which appeared in its Weekly Epidemiological Record. For example, in North America, the 2009 H1N1 virus predominated in Mexico, with H3N2 dominating in the United States, and influenza B taking the lead in most parts of Canada.
In temperate parts of Asia, influenza B peaked first in China and Mongolia, followed by a rise in H3N2 activity later in the season. The reverse pattern was seen in South Korea and Japan.
Many countries saw doctors' visits for flulike illness at or below last season's levels, but Japan reported its highest number of confirmed flu cases since 2002, except for during the 2009 pandemic period, the WHO report said.
