Influenza Virus Surveillance in Healthcare Personnel in Peru: NAMRU SOUTH Experience and Perspective.

This article focuses on a multiyear cohort study of healthcare personnel (HCP) in Lima, Peru, conducted by the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit SOUTH (NAMRU SOUTH) to assess influenza incidence, vaccine coverage, effectiveness, and related risk factors from 2016 through the COVID-19 pandemic period. The study highlights challenges in achieving high influenza vaccination rates among HCP despite free vaccine availability and describes adaptations made during the pandemic to include SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and vaccination monitoring. Findings indicate variable influenza incidence rates, generally low but improving vaccine uptake, and limited influenza vaccine effectiveness potentially due to virus-vaccine mismatches and surveillance limitations. The cohort's data support efforts to enhance vaccination strategies and inform public health interventions targeting HCP as a priority group for influenza and COVID-19 prevention.