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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: influenza

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

SunFluwer…

Posted onJanuary 21, 2019January 22, 2019Leave a comment

Just for fun, I thought I’d check in on Australia’s influenza tally again. I posted my last tally 3 days ago (Jan 18) and upon looking today (Jan 21), it’s Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsAustralia, influenza, seasonal influenza, summer

Influenza seasons are unpredictable: deal with it

Posted onOctober 11, 2018October 12, 2018Leave a comment

Mainstream Australian media are reporting that influenza cases in Australia have dropped by 83 per cent. Doctors have also said this is the result of science, guesswork and “a bit Read More …

CategoriesInfluenza, Vaccines & vaccinationTagsAustralia, influenza, seasonal influenza, vaccine, vaccine effectiveness

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

Flu is giving Australia a breather….

Posted onAugust 21, 2018August 25, 2018Leave a comment

August is the traditional Australian peak influenza (flu) month. The peak can move around a bit but it usually flu virus party time, followed in size by September. We’re two-thirds of Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsepidemiology, influenza, lab testing, molecular epidemiology

Influenza vaccines do have an effect and we need to do more to understand it

Posted onAugust 1, 2018October 15, 20183 Comments

Sometimes it’s hard to convey complex issues in a short-form article written for a general public audience. Other times, stories start off with an overly-simplified title they never recover from. Occasionally they lack any Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagscommunication, effectiveness, influenza, science communication, vaccination

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

Reporting flu – tell the story don’t create fear…

Posted onJune 23, 2018April 11, 20195 Comments

“Flu cases jump by 256% in just five years” screams a newspaper headline from the Daily Mercury, a paywalled News Corp publication. It sure seems like scary stuff doesn’t it? Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsalarmist, Australia, headlines, influenza, media, seasonal influe

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 vaccines and children: coming free to most Australian States and Territories in 2018

Posted onMarch 4, 2018May 29, 2018Leave a comment

UPDATE #2. Back in October 2017, Queensland Health, Queensland Government (Australia) held a summit following on from our horrendous year of influenza.[1] One of the announcements associated with that summit Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsAustralia, influenza, seasonal influenza, vaccination

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

Flu may not be peaking even if it looks like it is right now…and here’s why

Posted onFebruary 10, 2018January 12, 20197 Comments

The United State’s (US) influenza (Flu) season looks like it has peaked according to the latest Flu report.[1] And perhaps it has. But the graphs are only as solid as Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsepidemiology, influenza, lag, reporting, seasonal influenza, United States of America

Influenza type B viruses passes the baton to type A viruses in China…

Posted onJanuary 31, 2018May 2, 2018Leave a comment

What starts out as an influenza (Flu) A/H3N2 season may end up being a Flu B/Yamagata season. Or vice versa. Or with different players altogether. Flu is tricksy. We see Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsChina, exchange, influenza, seasonal influenza

Second human influenza A/H7N9 case for 2017/8 season…

Posted onJanuary 17, 2018January 18, 2018Leave a comment

It’s been a very slow start to the H7N9 season (=spillovers from infected poultry to susceptible humans) in China. Why it’s been so slow is unclear. The Hong Kong (HK) Centre for Read More …

CategoriesH7N9, InfluenzaTagsavian influenza, China, H7N9, influenza

Aussie Flu, UK Flu – who cares? Get vaccinated.

Posted onJanuary 15, 2018Leave a comment

Some thoughts from Dr Katherine Arden and myself  about where the flu viruses sweeping the UK came from. Is it the “Aussie flu”? The short answer is simply “No”. There Read More …

CategoriesUncategorizedTagsinfluenza, quadrivalent vaccine, trivalent vaccine

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Regular reads…

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