Warning on Australian flu epidemic

May 3, 2011

Warning sounded on flu epidemic * Brigid O'Connell

* From: Sunday Herald Sun * May 01, 2011 12:00AM

INFLUENZA experts are warning ns that a record start to the flu season

could be an early warning of a winter flu boom.

The first four months of this year have seen more cases of the flu recorded,

compared with the start of the past four years.

More than 414 cases have already been reported to the Department of Health,

compared with 88 cases this time last year and 38 cases in 2009.

Melbourne's Dr Alan Hampson, an influenza adviser for the World Health

Organisation, said the cause was a combination of high rainfall, low levels of

Vitamin D and the potency of worldwide flu variants.

He said the Australian flu season would be influenced by large outbreaks of

swine flu in South America, increased cases of the H3 strain in North America as

well as influenza B in Asia.

" It's certainly unusually high levels of activity already in and I

think people should really take heed of that and assume we'll be facing a more

severe year than we've seen for a while, " Dr Hampson said...

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