Influenza A, influenza B and RSV detection rates were below 5% throughout September. SARS-CoV-2 percentage positivity ranged from 13.6-15.6% nationally in the reporting period, having increased from 10.9% in the last week of August (week 35). Testing rates were...
Influenza A and B detection rates remained below 2% during August, with the influenza season officially having ended in July (NICD Weekly Respiratory Pathogens Surveillance Report, week 34 of 2023). Surveillance is ongoing to determine whether a second influenza peak...
Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and SARS-CoV-2 Influenza A detection rates peaked in week 21 (week ending 28 May) and then decreased each week throughout June, with the percentage positivity dropping to 12% in the last week of June. Influenza A/H3 continued to...
Background: Mumps virus (MV), a single-stranded RNA virus of the paramyxoiridae family, is highly contagious and is most commonly associated with parotitis. There has been a significant increase in the amount of mumps cases nationally in 2023. For patients...
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory specimens is an essential tool in screening and diagnosing COVID-191. Clinical virology laboratories often make use of a diverse repertoire of testing platforms with varying...
On 26 November 2021 the WHO designated the new SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.529, now named Omicron, a variant of concern. Much is still unknown about Omicron and it is expected that the variant’s real world impact will become clearer over the next weeks. What is Omicron?...
A fairly recent article on the nationwide outbreak of Hepatitis E (HEV) in informal settlements in Namibia as well as the recent academic interest in this previously mostly ignored virus, prompted this EduPath. The intention is to focus on the salient points of HEV...
PathCare has introduced an antibody test that is capable of detecting antibodies directed against the SARS-CoV-2 spike (“S”) protein, induced by SARS-CoV-2 vaccines or by natural infection. Diagnostic assays previously introduced only target the nucleocapsid (“N”)...
Testing for respiratory pathogens using comprehensive multiplex molecular panels have become a valuable diagnostic tool to assist in early identification of causative organisms. Appropriate use supports timely and directed antimicrobial therapy, especially for...
The presence of viral RNA in respiratory samples is critical information in the diagnosis of an acute SARS-COV-2 infection. The real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detects these pieces of RNA. But RT-PCR is a poor test of cure. The...