Influenza 'picking up' recently in the South

Influenza-like illness has picked up in the South in the past two weeks, but the swine flu strain appeared to have "done its dash", Public Health South service manager Stephen Jenkins told a Southern District Health Board committee yesterday.

Mr Jenkins said the flu strains circulating this winter were "normal seasonal" ones.

H1N1, also known as swine flu, killed 49 at its peak in 2009 and was the predominant strain last year.

Data presented to the community and public health advisory committee was dated, and showed no significant level of flu, but anecdotally flu-like illness had "stepped up" in the past fortnight, Mr Jenkins said.

When contacted, Dunedin North Medical Centre practice nurse Theresa Hurring told the Otago Daily Times there had been an increase in flu presentations in the past week or so. Influenza had hit later than usual this year.

She said this winter patients had presented with particularly virulent colds and coughs, which were lasting longer than usual, but were not influenza.

This year, the practice had noticed an increase in queries about the meningococcal vaccine that covers the non-epidemic strains.

That interest was renewed this week upon the publicity surrounding the death of Fulton Hogan chief executive Bill Perry, who died in Christchurch on Saturday after contracting meningococcal C.

The practice advised patients their risk of contracting the disease was minimal, depending on their circumstances, Mrs Hurring said.

- eileen.goodwin@odt.co.nz

 

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