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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.

Tag: Flu

Flu, genes, clades and H3N2

Posted onJuly 9, 2019July 20, 2019Leave a comment

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 …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsA/H3N2, alignment, clade, Flu, nucleotide sequencing, seasonal influenza, sequencing

Every flu season is a soup of viruses

Posted onJune 6, 2019July 4, 20196 Comments

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 …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsFlu, flunami, influenza, summer flu, why so much flu

Only effective vaccines can protect us from respiratory viruses because we’re us

Posted onAugust 24, 2018August 25, 2018Leave a comment

As winter wraps up in Australia, it’s become quite clear that – barring a very unusual late burst of activity – the 2018 influenza (flu) season has passed Australia by with Read More …

CategoriesInfluenza, RhinovirusTagscommon cold, epidemic, Flu, household, influenza, outbreak, pandemic, respiratory viruses, vaccine

Queensland influenza keeping it cool….

Posted onJuly 20, 2018July 20, 2018Leave a comment

This week’s influenza (flu) data from Queensland’s Department of Health suggest that the virus is toying with Queenslanders – and much of Australia – this season. The total number of Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsAustralia, Flu, flu season, influenza, Queensland, Queensland Health

Is increased testing at the root of Australia’s biggest ever first quarter of Flu cases…?

Posted onApril 7, 2018June 11, 2019Leave a comment

I’ve seen some media reporting an “early start to the flu season”. Is this true? The short answer is – I don’t know. Let’s explore why I can’t answer my Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsepidemiology, Flu, influenza, notifications, seasonal influenza

Flu numbers from the US…Peaky McPeakFace

Posted onMarch 3, 2018March 4, 2018Leave a comment

This year’s annual influenza (flu) H3N2 epidemic in the United States (US) has peaked. It’s been a big season in the US and the United Kingdom and in Canada, as it was Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsepidemic curve, epidemiology, Flu, H3N2, influenza, seasonal influenza, United States of America

Influenza virus transmission: with or without symptoms, you’re dropping Flu virus

Posted onJanuary 14, 2018November 9, 202019 Comments

Influenza viruses infect our cells, but cell entry alone does not result in influenza (the disease). What happens after our cells get infected can depend on quite a few things. Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsaerosol, airborne, droplet, droplet nuclei, Flu, influenza, influenza virus, transmission

Why the current influenza season is a big one…

Posted onDecember 27, 2017Leave a comment

We wrote a little something on this topic for the Conversation back in November. It may be of interest you in the northern hemisphere. You can read the entire piece, Read More …

CategoriesUncategorizedTagscommunity engagement, Flu, influenza, SciComm

Flu is a slippery virus, a tough vaccine target and a challenge to contain…

Posted onNovember 5, 2017June 6, 20183 Comments

Much was made of a regrettable interview earlier in the week about the Australian equivalent Flu vaccine. Some of the headlines included… “Cut-price flu jabs too weak to work” “Cheaper Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsAustralia, epidemic, Flu, quadrivalent vaccine, vaccine

Flu has long been associated with death in younger adults: it is known

Posted onNovember 3, 2017May 24, 2018Leave a comment

A very short post just to highlight that younger adults have been linked to Flu deaths for many years. This is still far less often than occurs among the elderly Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsdeath, Flu, influenza, mortality, vaccine

A look at public reporting of Flu in Australia…

Posted onSeptember 23, 2017October 27, 20174 Comments

I’ve spent a bit more time in Flu reports this year than past years so I thought I might compare the data that the public can see. There are no Read More …

CategoriesUncategorizedTagsAustralia, epidemiology, Flu, flu season, public data, public health, reporting

Queensland Flu season gives us the cold shoulder…

Posted onSeptember 21, 2017October 27, 20172 Comments

The latest Flu data, fresh from the excellent Epidemiology Research Unit, Communicable Diseases Branch, Queensland Health, shows the usual post-winter spike (shoulder) in Flu cases and the subsequent plunge thanks Read More …

CategoriesUncategorizedTagsepidemiology, Flu, FluA, H3N2, influenza, Queensland

Influenza on the brain….

Posted onSeptember 21, 2017October 17, 20181 Comment

Influenza, (Flu), caused by influenza viruses, is what we all think of as a respiratory disease. It can cause acute mild upper respiratory tract illness. It can cause acute severe Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagscentral nervous system, Flu, influenza, neuroinfluenza

Recent Posts

  • WHO to new PCR users: read the damned manual! January 23, 2021
  • Putting PCR into real-time January 2, 2021
  • The mechanics of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)…a primer December 28, 2020
  • The Swiss cheese infographic that went viral December 26, 2020
  • Happy Festive Season to all who read this…. December 24, 2020
  • The “false-positive PCR” problem is not a problem November 22, 2020
  • More testing shows more iceberg October 29, 2020
  • Sigh, yes, the ‘COVID virus’ is real October 6, 2020
  • Yes, PCR tests can detect “the COVID virus” August 4, 2020
  • And another thing…on false positives June 29, 2020
  • Rhinovirus rampant or testing triumphant? June 27, 2020
  • We don’t yet know the origin story for SARS-CoV-2 May 4, 2020
  • Kits and reagents and viruses April 12, 2020
  • COVID-19 cases slow a little in Australia March 27, 2020
  • COVID-19 is not a virus, but SARS-CoV-2 is March 21, 2020

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

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Regular reads…

  • FluTrackers-everything infectious, before it happens
  • Mike Coston’s Avian Flu Diary
  • Crawford Kilian’s infectious disease blog
  • Pathogen perspectives: Ebola and more
  • ProMED mail
  • WHO Disease Outbreak News
  • HealthMap
  • STAT News
  • CIDRAP-timely infectious disease reporting
  • Maia Majumder’s blog
  • Kai Kupferschmidt
  • Martin Enserink
  • EpiRamblings

 

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