The 2019 Flunami was more than just increased testing
The Flunami (see a definition here before you decide upon your own dear reader) has been a rising tide of influenza cases. It was more than just increased testing though. Read More …
Author: Ian M Mackay, PhD (EIC)
PHEIC news
Almost a year (51 weeks) since the first 25 cases of fever were reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on July 30 Read More …
Flu, genes, clades and H3N2
We’ve talked earlier about clades; a term which relates to how we can put influenza (flu) viruses that sit under the broad title, “A/H3N2”, into subgroupings. Clades are a way Read More …
H3N2 in Australia – Australia’s unseasonal flu season rolls on
Australia’s unseasonal flu season is still with us, albeit a little quieter than it was. Some jurisdictions have already had a peak and have returned to almost normal numbers of Read More …
Which is the inFLUencing hemisphere, north, south or neither?
One of the most common comments I’ve read on Twitter from my northern hemisphere buds these past weeks is – “hey look at those bad influenza (flu) numbers in Australia…that Read More …
Ebola virus disease crosses the border into Uganda
The first confirmed case of Ebola virus disease (EVD) has been reported in a child identified in Kasese, Uganda. The child, who died has a history of travelling to The Read More …
Every flu season is a soup of viruses
It may surprise some to know that influenza isn’t caused by just one “flu virus”. There are multiple flu viruses which can all cause the flu and they are around Read More …
An influenza virus is the sum of its parts
The influenza viruses are a bit different from other viruses that infect and affect our respiratory tract. Their genetic material – the stuff that acts as the blueprint to make Read More …
The Australian Flunami rolls on
Flu. What the heck are you doing? Since November 2018 – traditionally a time of influenza decline as the winter season wanes to a baseline level – you’ve been causing Read More …
Portrait of uncontrolled Ebola
The latest Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak has been a slow burn in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the first official report in July 2018. With the wonderful Read More …
More confirmed Ebola deaths than cases?
A strange number pattern has appeared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Ministry of Health (MOH) Ebola virus disease (EVD) Reports for a couple of the affected health Read More …
Influenza vaccine protection in adults: it’s better than you think
It seems like every year we’re told that the timespan for which influenza (flu) vaccination provides us immunity is a little shorter. In the next few posts, I’ll have a Read More …
SNAPDATE: Measles in Australia
Measles in Australia is having a bumper year. But it hasn’t been such a good year for those who have not yet been vaccinated by necessity (younger than 9-12 months) Read More …
SNAPDATE: Flu in Australia to 15th April 2019
A snap update of the current laboratory-confirmed numbers of influenza-infected people in Australia as we move to halfway through the autumn month April in the southern hemisphere. As can be Read More …
Aluminium and you
Aluminium (aluminum if you’re from North America) is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust and the third most abundant element of the planet.[1,37] Compounds containing aluminium are also Read More …