Bid to damp down flu panic

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Bid to damp down flu panic

CONFIRMATION that a four-year-old Melbourne boy was carrying influenza when he died this week should not spark fears of a viral epidemic, health officials have warned.

Preschooler Ethan Ioannou was dead when paramedics arrived at his Berwick home on Tuesday. He had been suffering from a respiratory complaint.

"The actual cause of death is obviously a matter for further coronial investigation but we have confirmed the presence of influenza virus in that child," said Victoria's Chief Health Officer, John Carnie.

It was also confirmed that the boy's 10-year-old sister, Bridget, had contracted the virus. She is being monitored.

Although influenza cases were "slightly on the rise", Dr Carnie said this winter's viral strains were no more threatening than those of past winters.

"There is not some huge epidemic sweeping Victoria," he said. "The numbers are still within the normal seasonal variation that we expect."

There have been 260 reported cases in Victoria so far this year, compared with 245 at the same time last year and 442 in 2005.

The Royal Children's Hospital, The Alfred and Monash Medical Centre said there had been a steady increase in the number of patients presenting with flu-like symptoms.

"We're confirming about three cases of influenza A per day," said microbiologist Andrew Daley, of the Royal Children's.

Dr Daley said his hospital's emergency department could not afford to be blocked by families who were unnecessarily worried, saying: "We're very happy to see sick children in emergency, but if parents are just a little bit concerned then the GP should be the first point of call."

Disease expert Ian Barr said the flu season had hit Victoria slightly later than normal.

"Victorian levels are still not as high as those reported in Queensland and NSW," said Dr Barr, deputy director of the World Health Organisation's influenza centre in Melbourne.

"But this is normally the peak time for influenza in Australia."

Dr Carnie said that for vulnerable people "the message is: it is not too late to go and have your influenza vaccine".
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/bid-to-damp-down-flu-panic-after-childs-death/2007/08/08/1186530447218.html

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Hurry, hurry come get your flu shots!

Flu season yet to peak: specialists

The virulent strain of influenza sweeping Australia this winter is likely to claim more lives before it burns out, a flu specialist has warned.

Five children and a healthy 37-year-old man have so far died from flu complications this season, as the nation records its highest levels of the illness since 2003.

Professor Raina MacIntyre, of the University of Sydney, said influenza was well known to kill, but those usually targeted were the vulnerable elderly and young.

"This year seems to be different and more severe than we've seen in a while," said Prof MacIntyre, a senior researcher at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance.

"And the numbers are still yet to peak. It's certainly possible, and maybe even likely, that more people, even healthy people, could die.

"And at least some of these deaths may be preventable by vaccination."

Influenza notifications this year are more than double 2006 and the figures reported to date are almost 2.5 times greater than the average recorded at this time in the previous five years.

Most infections have been linked to two different strains of influenza A. Both circulate each year but this season the strain known as H3N2 has been most virulent, and was behind the complication-related deaths of three Western Australian children.

The other strain, called H1N1, has been linked to 30 per cent of cases, and is believed to be responsible for the other two child deaths in Victoria and Queensland.

Queenslander Glen Kindness, 37, who died on Thursday after developing flu-like symptoms, was believed to have one of the two strains.

Influenza types B and C are known to cause fewer symptoms and are less prevalent this year.

Prof MacIntyre said each strain mutates a little each season, with small, subtle changes in severity that can "surprise" the immune system in un-immunised people.

"Influenza is fluid and changing, and sometimes these small changes, as we're seeing now, make a virus spread and cause a lot more death and sickness than other viruses," she said.

Professor Anne Kelso, director of the Melbourne-based World Health Organisation Influenza Centre, said NSW, Queensland and Western Australia were all recording unusually high flu numbers.

However, detailed lab tests on this year's strains had not found anything "particularly nasty" to cause alarm, she said.

"What we've got is a bit of flu and tragic deaths but no sign yet that something particularly unusual is going on," Prof Kelso said.

"The previous couple of years have been particularly mild which makes this one look worse, but it remains to be seen whether it winds up being a bad season in itself."

The specialists recommended Australians seek out the flu vaccine, saying the flu season may last into September.

© 2007 AAP

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Prof MacIntyre said each strain mutates a little each season, with small, subtle changes in severity that can "surprise" the immune system in un-immunised people.

"Influenza is fluid and changing, and sometimes these small changes, as we're seeing now, make a virus spread and cause a lot more death and sickness than other viruses," she said.


© 2007 AAP

So would that not signify that vaccination is useless?

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I'd have thought so!