ISDS Annual Conference Proceedings 2018. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ISDS 2018 Conference Abstracts Viral causes of Influenza Like Illness in Uganda, 2008 to 2017. Derrick E. Mimbe*1, Denis K. Byarugaba2, Bernard Erima1, Edison Mworozi3, Monica Millard1, Titus Tugume1, Jocelyn Kiconco1, Paska Lamunu1, Hannah Kibuuka1 and Fred Wabwire-Mangen3 1Makerere University Walter Reed Project, Kampala, Uganda; 2Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-security, Kampala, Uganda; 3Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda Objective To determine viral causes of influenza-like illness in Uganda. Introduction Respiratory pathogens continue to present an ever increasing threat to public health (1,2). Influenza, Respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus and other respiratory viruses are major etiological agents for influenza like illnesses (ILI) (3-5). Establishment of viral causes of ILI is critical for prevention and mitigation strategies to disease threats. Makerere University Walter Reed Project (MUWRP) together with the Ugandan Ministry of Health and partners undertook surveillance to determine viral causes of influenza-like illness in Uganda. Methods From 2008, MUWRP established hospital-based sentinel sites for surveillance activities. A total of five hospital-based sites were established, where patients aged 6 months or older presenting with ILI were enrolled. Consents were obtained as required, and a throat and/ or nasopharyngeal swab collected. Samples were screened by PCR for viral causes. Results From October 2008 to March 2017 a total of 9,472 participants were enrolled in the study from five hospital-based surveillance sentinel sites. Majority of participants were children under 5 years n= 8,169 (86.2%). 615 (6.5%) samples tested positive for influenza A, while 385 (4.1%) tested positive for influenza B viruses and 10 (0.1%) were co-infections between influenza A and B. Of the 2,062 influenza negative samples, results indicated positivity for the following organisms; adenoviruses (9.4%), respiratory syncytial B (7.3%), parainfluenza-3 (4.5%), parainfluenza-1 (4.3%), respiratory syncytial A (3.5%), human bocavirus (1.7%), human metapneumovirus (1.7%), human coronavirus (1.5%), parainfluenza-4 (1.4%) and parainfluenza-2 (0.9%) by PCR. Conclusions Influenza viruses account for about 11% of the causes of influenza like illness, with influenza A being the dominant type. Among the other viral causes of ILI, adenoviruses were the most dominant. Detection of other viral causes of ILI is an indication of the public health threats posed by respiratory pathogens. Keywords Influenza; Influenza Like Illness; Surveillance Acknowledgments The authors would want to acknowledge the project and sentinel surveillance site staff for their contribution and dedication. This study was supported by the US Department of Defence through the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch - Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response and Henry Jackson Foundation for Advancement of Medicine. References IOM (Institute of Medicine), 2009. Microbial evolution and coadaptation: a tribute to the life and scientific legacies of Joshua Lederberg. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. ISDS Annual Conference Proceedings 2018. 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