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Virology Down Under

Facts, data, info, expert opinion and a reasonable, occasionally grumpy, voice on viruses: what they are, how they tick and the illnesses they may cause.

Category: Epidemic

Whooping cough in 2024 was huge in Australia, but is declining in 2025 and 2026

Posted onFebruary 19, 2026February 19, 2026

The risks of declining childhood vaccination include a resurgence of dangerous infectious diseases driven by airborne pathogens such as Bordetella pertussis, the bacterium that causes whooping cough (also called pertussis). A Read More …

CategoriesBordetella pertussis, Epidemic, Vaccines & vaccinationTagsAustralia, epidemiology

Is there more flu in Australia and New Zealand than normal for Christmas? Hell Yes!

Posted onDecember 27, 2025February 17, 2026

Happy FluMas, ya filthy animals! With a new flu variant – subclade K – dominant, Australia and New Zealand are seeing a very unusual bout of seasonal influenza (flu) as Read More …

CategoriesEpidemic, Influenza, Vaccines & vaccination, VariantsTagsSubclade K

A Flunami in July

Posted onJuly 27, 2025July 27, 20252 Comments

Australia has recorded its largest number of laboratory-confirmed influenza virus detections among sick people for any July on record. While the numbers may be slowing, there is no way of Read More …

CategoriesEpidemic, Influenza

In Australia, COVID-19 deaths did decrease between 2023 and 2024, but it’s still a major killer.

Posted onJuly 2, 2025August 1, 2025

At the prompting of a Tweep (thanks Michael), I’ve revisited my September 2024 post “In Australia, COVID-19 deaths may have stopped decreasing” to see the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics Read More …

CategoriesCOVID-19, Endemic, Epidemic, Pandemic

Flu down under is a July thing

Posted onJune 16, 2025August 8, 2025

This is a graph I didn’t know I wanted to make. But now I have, I needed to make it! It shows the influenza virus detections reported to laboratories in Read More …

CategoriesEpidemic, Influenza, Pandemic

body of water during golden hour

In Australia, COVID-19 deaths may have stopped decreasing

Posted onSeptember 6, 2024September 9, 20241 Comment

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) published excellent data on deaths due to or with COVID-19 in Australia from 2022 to July 2024. Deaths dropped between 2022 and 2023, but Read More …

CategoriesCOVID-19, EpidemicTagsDeaths

Excess deaths align with COVID-19

Posted onMay 7, 2023May 7, 20232 Comments

There are minimisers who spread misinformation, like butter on hot toast. And yes, it can sink in and spread further. One of these piles of melted fat ridiculously claims that Read More …

CategoriesCOVID-19, Epidemic, Influenza

Old MERS and MERS-CoV numbers

Posted onAugust 5, 2014February 18, 2026

This is a static page – the internet address won’t change, just the charts as I add new numbers and update them. The page will present Middle East respiratory syndrome Read More …

CategoriesData, Epidemic, MERS-CoV, OutbreakTagsepidemiology

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Recent Posts

  • Asymptomatic, acute and persistent COVID-19 symptom changes over the course of three infections March 5, 2026
  • How are asymptomatic COVID-19 cases tracking? March 2, 2026
  • Another way to look at flu season size February 28, 2026
  • Whooping cough in 2024 was huge in Australia, but is declining in 2025 and 2026 February 19, 2026
  • Pathology lab PCR is not research lab PCR January 27, 2026
  • Is there more flu in Australia and New Zealand than normal for Christmas? Hell Yes! December 27, 2025
  • Catch them all? There are three different influenza viruses and they can co-circulate each season August 22, 2025
  • The “Infection Pause”: because it’s about fewer infections, not an immune debt to repay July 31, 2025
  • A Flunami in July July 27, 2025
  • COVID-19 is a Pandemic: What if it was a Pandemic Emergency? And what are they anyway? July 24, 2025
  • In Australia, COVID-19 deaths did decrease between 2023 and 2024, but it’s still a major killer. July 2, 2025
  • Flu down under is a July thing June 16, 2025
  • Q fever – an old zoonosis with a better diagnosis June 9, 2025
  • What if Harvard loses? April 19, 2025
  • Measles takes your immune memories April 9, 2025

All opinions are my own and do not represent medical advice or the views of any institution.

All graphics made by me are free-to-use. Please just cite the particular page, blog and me. A heads-up would be nice, but that can happen later.

Tags

anti-vaccination asymptomatic Australia avian influenza China Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC Ebola virus Ebola virus disease epidemic epidemiology EVD Flu flunami flu season genotype H1N1 H3N2 H7N9 HTLV HTLV-1c influenza influenza virus MERS MERS-CoV molecular epidemiology outbreak PCR pneumonia Queensland reporting respiratory virus rhinovirus RT-PCR SciComm science communication seasonal influenza social media SoMe summer transmission United States of America vaccine Wuhan Zaire ebolavirus

Regular reads…

  • FluTrackers-everything infectious, before it happens
  • Mike Coston’s Avian Flu Diary
  • ProMED mail
  • WHO Disease Outbreak News
  • HealthMap
  • STAT News
  • CIDRAP-timely infectious disease reporting
  • Kai Kupferschmidt
  • Martin Enserink

Recent Posts

  • Asymptomatic, acute and persistent COVID-19 symptom changes over the course of three infections
  • How are asymptomatic COVID-19 cases tracking?
  • Another way to look at flu season size
  • Whooping cough in 2024 was huge in Australia, but is declining in 2025 and 2026
  • Pathology lab PCR is not research lab PCR

All opinions are my own and do not represent medical advice or the views of any institution.

All graphics made by me are free-to-use. Please just cite the particular page, blog and me. A heads-up would be nice too but that can happen later.

Bluesky: @mackayim.bsky.social

Threads: @mackayim.2024

Mastodon: @mackayim2022@mastodon.social

 

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