Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Australia: Influenza hits Canberra

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Australia: Influenza hits Canberra

    Source: http://www.merredinmercury.com.au/ne...a/2606825.aspx

    Influenza hits Canberra
    PETER JEAN
    28 Jun, 2012 10:50 AM

    Several people have been admitted to hospital as influenza hits Canberra workplaces, schools and nursing homes.

    ACT chief health officer Paul Kelly said there had been 72 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza in the ACT since the beginning of the year.

    "More than half of those have been notified since the beginning of this month," he said.

    Dr Kelly said some patients had been admitted to hospital and cases had been detected in two residential aged care homes...


    ...Initial data suggested that HINI swine flu appeared to be declining as a proportion of total flu cases.

    "The swine flu strain from a couple of years ago - H1NI - seems to be decreasing as a proportion and another A-strain - the H3N2 strain at the moment at least seems to be increasing," Dr Kelly said...

  • #2
    Re: Australia: Influenza hits Canberra

    hat tip to Carol@SC for bolding . . . .

    Massive jump in flu cases this year (Canberra)

    More than 90 people have been admitted to Canberra hospitals and elderly patients have died as the H1N1 virus is replaced as the most prevalent form of influenza in the community. The peak of the annual ACT flu season passed last month after a massive increase in laboratory-confirmed cases compared to the previous year. Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly said that there had been 541 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza up until August 24, compared with 193 during the same period last year.
    The Canberra Hospital, Calvary Public Hospital and Calvary Private Hospital had admitted 94 patients with influenza, compared with just 18 in 2011.
    Dr Kelly said H1N1, or swine flu, had been replaced as the predominant flu by the H3N2 virus. ''In 2010, 2011, it's been all HIN1, affecting mainly the middle-aged, whereas the typical flu season affects quite little kids and the elderly and can become quite severe for them for reasons not so much of the actual flu bug but because of their immune response capabilities,'' he said.
    ''In the previous years, with the H1N1, it was quite severe with those middle ages, because the flu bug was severe. Paradoxically, even though it's not a pandemic, we've seen more admissions and more emergency department presentations. ''It was really quite tough there for a few weeks.''
    Some patients had been admitted to hospital intensive care units and a small number had died. ''We've had a couple of outbreaks in aged care facilities and not surprising some of those people had passed away,'' he said.
    Dr Kelly said the increase in reported influenza cases could partly be the result of a change in testing practices. ''I think we've seen a lot more kids this year, which I think is partly due to that testing, but also partly due to the fact it's been a slightly different flu this year,'' he said.
    Dr Kelly said the influenza vaccine had probably been slightly less effective this year than in previous years because it had vaccinated for a slightly different form of H3N2 than the one that had subsequently begun circulating in the community. ''It's a slightly different strain to the one that's been circulating, so it hasn't been as effective probably this year as it has in the last three years, just because it's slightly different one that's circulating,'' he said.

    Continued: http://www.canberratimes.com.a...
    http://novel-infectious-diseases.blogspot.com/

    Comment

    Working...
    X