Virus WAtch Week Ending 21 June 2015

Influenza and Influenza-like Illnesses (ILI)

Summary: Overall non-influenza respiratory virus activity continues to increase sharply, with a large contribution from respiratory syncytial virus. Indicators of influenza virus remain variable, but activity appears to be increasing slowly, dominated by influenza B virus.

• ILI presentations to sentinel emergency departments (EDs) and sentinel general practitioners (GPs) increased a little this week, but remain in the lower margins of what has been observed in recent years.
• Influenza virus detections and notifications are increasing gradually, with influenza B (81%) and influenza A/H3N2 (17%) viruses dominating detections.
• Overall non-influenza respiratory virus detections increased; respiratory syncytial virus activity remains high, and parainfluenza and human metapnuemovirus activity also increased this week.

 Gastroenteritis

• Gastroenteritis presentations to sentinel GPs increased, while ED presentations decreased.  Rotavirus detections remained high and stable, while norovirus activity is variable.

Varicella and Viral Rashes

• Chickenpox presentations to sentinel EDs and GPs are around baseline levels.
• Shingles presentations have increased and are above baseline at both sentinel GPs and EDs.
• No cases of rubella or measles were notified.
• Transmission appears to be slowing in the mumps outbreak among Aboriginal children, teenagers and young adults in the Kimberley region, with satellite clusters in two boarding school communities. One imported case of mumps (ex-India) was also confirmed.

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