Where has all the influenza gone? The impact of COVID-19 on the circulation of influenza and other respiratory viruses, Australia, March to September 2020

Sheena G Sullivan; Sandra Carlson; Allen C Cheng; Monique Bn Chilver; Dominic E Dwyer; Melissa Irwin; Jen Kok; Kristine Macartney; Jennifer MacLachlan; Cara Minney-Smith; David Smith; Nigel Stocks; Janette Taylor; Ian G Barr

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.47.2001847

Where has all the influenza gone? The impact of COVID-19 on the circulation of influenza and other respiratory viruses, Australia, March to September 2020

Euro Surveill. 2020 Nov;25(47):2001847. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.47.2001847.

Authors

Sheena G Sullivan¹, Sandra Carlson², Allen C Cheng^{3

4}, Monique Bn Chilver⁵, Dominic E Dwyer⁶, Melissa Irwin⁷, Jen Kok⁶, Kristine Macartney^{8

9}, Jennifer MacLachlan¹⁰, Cara Minney-Smith¹¹, David Smith^{11

12}, Nigel Stocks⁵, Janette Taylor⁶, Ian G Barr¹³

Affiliations

¹ WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Doherty Department, University of Melbourne, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.
² FluTracking, Hunter New England Population Health, Newcastle, Australia.
³ School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
⁴ Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Health, and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
⁵ Discipline of General Practice, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
⁶ Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, New South Wales Health Pathology - Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, Australia.
⁷ Rapid Surveillance, Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence, NSW Ministry of Health, Sydney, Australia.
⁸ National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance and The Children's Hospital Westmead, Sydney, Australia.
⁹ Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
¹⁰ WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.
¹¹ PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Nedlands, Australia.
¹² Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia.
¹³ WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.

PMID: 33243355
PMCID: PMC7693168
DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.47.2001847

Abstract

The coronavirus disease pandemic was declared in March 2020, as the southern hemisphere's winter approached. Australia expected co-circulation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, influenza and other seasonal respiratory viruses. However, influenza notifications were 7,029 (March-September) compared with an average 149,832 for the same period in 2015-2019 [corrected], despite substantial testing. Restrictions on movement within and into Australia may have temporarily eliminated influenza. Other respiratory pathogens also showed remarkably changed activity in 2020.

Keywords: influenza; non-pharmaceutical interventions; respiratory syncytial virus; rhinoviruses; travel restrictions.

MeSH terms

Australia / epidemiology
COVID-19
Coronavirus
Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
Disease Notification / statistics & numerical data*
Epidemiological Monitoring
Female
Humans
Influenza, Human / epidemiology*
Male
Pandemics
Population Surveillance
Respiratory Tract Infections / epidemiology*
SARS-CoV-2
Seasons
Sentinel Surveillance