In its latest global flu update, the World Health Organization (WHO) said activity continues to decline, though levels in parts of Europe are still above the epidemic threshold and with a spike in activity in China.
In Europe, half of the countries are still reporting widespread activity, though in North America, flu has declined to levels normally seen at this point of the season. The WHO report roughly covers the end of February and into the first week of March.
In East Asia, flu increased steeply in China, mainly due to the 2009 H1N1 virus, though other countries in the region reported declines. In South East Asia, activity remained elevated, led by influenza B in Malaysia and H3N2 in Singapore and Thailand. And in South Asia, flu levels remained low except in India, which is experiencing brisk H3N2 activity.
Of respiratory specimens that were positive for flu at national flu labs, 69.5% were influenza A, and 30.5% were influenza B. Of subtyped influenza A viruses, 74.5% were 2009 H1N1. Of influenza B viruses, all belonged to the Victoria lineage.