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Updated: Feb 27, 2026
A Luciferase-fluorescent Reporter Influenza Virus for Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection
Published on: August 14, 2019
Influenza-associated mortality in Thailand, 2006-2011
Suchunya Aungkulanon1, Po-Yung Cheng2, Khanitta Kusreesakul1
1International Health Policy Program, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
Background:
Influenza-associated mortality in subtropical or tropical regions, particularly in developing countries, remains poorly quantified and often underestimated. We analyzed data in Thailand, a middle-income tropical country with good vital statistics and influenza surveillance data.
Methods:
We obtained weekly mortality data for all-cause and three underlying causes of death (circulatory and respiratory diseases, and pneumonia and influenza), and weekly influenza virus data, from 2006 to 2011. A negative binomial regression model was used to estimate deaths attributable to influenza in two age groups (<65 and ≥65 years) by incorporating influenza viral data as covariates in the model.
Results:
From 2006 to 2011, the average annual influenza-associated mortality per 100 000 persons was 4·0 (95% CI: -18 to 26). Eighty-three percent of influenza-associated deaths occurred among persons aged > 65 years. The average annual rate of influenza-associated deaths was 0·7 (95% CI: -8·2 to 10) per 100 000 population for person aged <65 years and 42 (95% CI: -137 to 216) for person aged ≥ 65 years.
Discussion:
In Thailand, estimated excess mortality associated with influenza was considerable even during non-pandemic years. These data provide support for Thailand's seasonal influenza vaccination campaign. Continued monitoring of mortality data is important to assess impact.
