Virus WAtch Week Ending 31 August 2014

Megan Reilly

Virus WAtch Week Ending 31 August 2014

Influenza and Influenza-like Illnesses (ILI)

Summary: Influenza activity appears to have peaked, and may be beginning to decline. Non-influenza respiratory virus activity was relatively stable this week.

  • Indicators of influenza activity, including notifications, proportion of positive laboratory tests for influenza, ILI presentations to sentinel general practitioners (GPs), Emergency Department ILI presentations and influenza-associated hospitalisations decreased this week. Given reporting delays, however, it is not clear that all indicators are truly decreasing.
  • The majority of influenza viruses subtyped were influenza A/H1N1; there are still a significant number of A/H3N2 detections, although epidemic activity in the West Kimberley region is now decreasing. Influenza B continues to circulate at a low level.
  • Detections of most non-influenza respiratory viruses remained stable this week.

 Gastroenteritis

  • Gastroenteritis presentations to sentinel GPs and EDs decreased this week and are now at the lower margin of levels seen in previous years.

 Varicella and Viral Rashes

  • Shingles presentations to GPs are slightly above baseline; there were no chickenpox presentations to sentinel GPs. Both shingles and chickenpox presentations to sentinel EDs remain around expected levels.
  • One case of mumps was confirmed in a contact of two travellers who were infected in Sri Lanka.
  • No measles or rubella cases were reported.

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