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Influenza

Influenza

Identification is essential for infection control and patient management

Influenza is characterized by sudden onset of symptoms.3 These symptoms overlap with many upper and lower respiratory infections caused by other bacterial and/or viral pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2. This makes diagnosis based on symptoms alone challenging for clinicians.4

Help stop the spread of influenza

Influenza is a seasonal respiratory illness that occurs annually, usually peaking in winter. It affects 5-10% of adults and 20-30% of children each year.1 Seasonal outbreaks can result in hospitalisation and death mainly among high-risk groups (the very young, elderly or chronically ill).2 Worldwide, annual epidemics are estimated to result in 3–5 million cases of severe illness, and 290,000–650,000 deaths.2

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Annual Global Incidence Graphic
Influenza

Identification is essential for infection control and patient management

Influenza is characterized by sudden onset of symptoms.3 These symptoms overlap with many upper and lower respiratory infections caused by other bacterial and/or viral pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2. This makes diagnosis based on symptoms alone challenging for clinicians.4

Give an early, accurate flu diagnosis

Current diagnostic methods commonly used are point-of-care rapid antigen tests, molecular point of care tests and lab based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.5,6 Rapid antigen tests for influenza have limited sensitivity so negative test results should be interpreted with caution given the potential for false negative results. Reliable negative results for influenza enable clinicians to consider other causes of illness like bacterial infections that require antibiotics.5

An unmet need exists for lab-quality tests that can accurately rule in or rule out influenza quickly, near patients to inform clinical management.7

Influenza
Respiratory

Timely diagnosis enables informed antibiotic stewardship

Use of molecular point-of-care testing that can reliably detect viral and/or bacterial pathogens would result in enhanced care, less antibiotic empiricism, reduced patient and societal cost of illness.8

Clinical studies have particularly shown decreased use of antibiotics and increased use of antivirals when influenza is diagnosed by molecular point-of-care testing.9-11

Advanced diagnostic testing strategies support critical and timely identification of hospital and community aquired infections with tools essential to reduce the global burden of disease.

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    References

    1. WHO (2012). World Health Organization. Vaccines against influenza. WHO position paper. Weekly Epidemiol Record. 87(47):461–76.
    2. WHO (2018). Influenza (seasonal) factsheet. Available at http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs211/en/ last access 03 May 2021
    3. Mayo Clinic (2016), Symptoms and causes. Available at http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/symptoms-causes/dxc-20248062 last access 03 May 2021
    4. Call, S.A., Vollenweider, M.A., Hornung, C.A., Simel, D.L., McKinney, W.P. (2005). Does this patient have influenza? JAMA 293(8), 987-997.
    5. CDC (2016). Guidance for Clinicians on the Use of Rapid influenza diagnostic tests. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/diagnosis/clinician_guidance_ridt.htm#figure1 last accessed 04 May 2021
    6. CDC (2019). Information on Rapid Molecular Assays, RT-PCR, and other Molecular Assays for Diagnosis of Influenza Virus Infection. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/diagnosis/molecular-assays.htm last accessed on 19 Jul 2021.
    7. Caliendo, A., et al. (2013). Better tests, better care: improved diagnostics for infectious diseases. Clin Infect Dis 57(3), S139-170.
    8. Brooke-Pearce, F., Demertzi E. (2019). Introduction of cobas Liat Influenza A/B for rapid point-of-care diagnosis of influenza infection in an acute trust.  Infect Prev 20(6):297-300.  https://doi.org/10.1177/1757177419853342
    9. Benirschke RC, McElvania E, Thomson RB, Kaul KL, Das S. Clinical Impact of Rapid Point-of-Care PCR Influenza Testing in an Urgent Care Setting: a Single-Center Study. J Clin Microbiol. 2019;57(3)..
    10. Perlitz B, Slagman A, Hitzek J, Riedlinger D, Möckel M. Point‐of‐care testing for influenza in a university emergency department: A prospective study. Influenza Other Resp. 2021.
    11. Rogan DT, Kochar MS, Yang S, Quinn JV. Impact of Rapid Molecular Respiratory Virus Testing on Real-Time Decision Making in a Pediatric Emergency Department. J Mol Diagnostics. 2017;19(3):460–7.