Resurgence of influenza A infections in children after the relaxation of COVID-19-related social distancing measures and normalization of international travel in Qatar

Andrés Pérez-López; Hassan Al Mana; Muhammad Iqbal; Mohammed Suleiman; Mohammad Rubayet Hasan; Patrick Tang

doi:10.1093/jtm/taac107

Resurgence of influenza A infections in children after the relaxation of COVID-19-related social distancing measures and normalization of international travel in Qatar

J Travel Med. 2022 Dec 27;29(8):taac107. doi: 10.1093/jtm/taac107.

Authors

Andrés Pérez-López^{1

2}, Hassan Al Mana³, Muhammad Iqbal¹, Mohammed Suleiman¹, Mohammad Rubayet Hasan^{4

5}, Patrick Tang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Microbiology, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
² Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar, Doha, Qatar.
³ Biomedical Research Centre, Microbiology Department, Qatar University, Doha Qatar.
⁴ Medical Scientific Department, LifeLabs, Toronto, Canada.
⁵ Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.

Abstract

We report an off-season surge of influenza A infections among children in Qatar coinciding with the relaxation of COVID-19 related social restrictions and the normalization of international travel. The unusual surge may be related to population waning immunity after a prolonged reduced influenza A activity in Qatar.

Publication types

Letter

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
COVID-19* / prevention & control
Child
Humans
Influenza, Human* / epidemiology
Influenza, Human* / prevention & control
Physical Distancing
Qatar / epidemiology
SARS-CoV-2
Travel