Local patterns of spread of influenza A H3N2 virus in coastal Kenya over a 1-year period revealed through virus sequence data.

ABSTRACT: The patterns of spread of influenza A viruses in local populations in tropical and sub-tropical regions are unclear due to sparsity of representative spatiotemporal sequence data. We sequenced and analyzed 58 influenza A(H3N2) virus genomes sampled between December 2015 and December 2016 from nine health facilities within the Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS), a predominantly rural region, covering approximately 891 km² along the Kenyan coastline. The genomes were compared with 1571 contemporaneous global sequences from 75 countries. We observed at least five independent introductions of A(H3N2) viruses into the region during the one-year period, with the importations originating from Africa, Europe, and North America. We also inferred 23 virus location t

SUBMITTER: Owuor DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11461663 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature