Weekly influenza surveillance overview, week 18, 2014

For week 18/2014:
• Low intensity of influenza activity with sporadic cases or no geographic spread was reported by 24 reporting countries
• Of 114 sentinel specimens tested across 17 countries, six (5%) were positive for influenza A virus.
• Fifteen hospitalised laboratory-confirmed influenza cases were reported, nine of which were admitted to intensive care units.
Overall, the influenza activity is low and declining in reporting countries.