Prevalence of antibodies against A and B influenza viruses in South‐Western Papua New Guinea

Influenza viruses remain a major cause of respiratory disease in both developed and developing countries. Nevertheless, there is little information on the prevalence of this respiratory infection in many developing countries, such as Papua New Guinea, since most of the available data originate from studies carried out in industrialized countries. In the present study, a serosurvey among residents of 47 remote villages of Papua New Guinea was conducted to evaluate the intensity of exposure to human influenza A and B viruses. The data obtained confirm the co‐circulation of these antigenic variants, reported having circulated in the Southern Hemisphere. Variations in seroprevalence of influenza A and B virus infection were found within the study area. J. Med. Virol. 78:820–824, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.