Epidemiology of the 2012 influenza season in Victoria, Australia

Authors

  • James Fielding Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Melbourne, Australia; National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
  • Kristina Grant Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Melbourne, Australia
  • Lucinda Franklin Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Surveillance, Victorian Government Department of Health, Melbourne, Australia
  • Sheena Sullivan World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, Melbourne, Australia
  • Georgina Papadakis Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Melbourne, Australia
  • Heath Kelly Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Melbourne, Australia; National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
  • Allen Cheng Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5365/wpsar.2013.4.2.007

Abstract

Objective: To assess the magnitude and severity of the 2012 influenza season in Victoria, Australia using surveillance data from five sources.

Methods: Data from influenza notifications, sentinel general practices, a sentinel hospital network, a sentinel locum service and strain typing databases for 2012 were descriptively analysed.

Results: Influenza and influenza-like illness activity was moderate compared to previous years, although a considerable increase in notified laboratory-confirmed influenza was observed. Type A influenza comprised between 83% and 87% of cases from the general practitioners, hospitals and notifiable surveillance data. Influenza A/H3 was dominant in July and August, and most tested isolates were antigenically similar to the A/Perth/16/2009 virus used in the vaccine. There was a smaller peak of influenza type B in September. No tested viruses were resistant to any neuraminidase inhibitor antivirals. Higher proportions of type A/H3, hospitalized cases and those with a comorbid condition indicated for influenza vaccination were aged 65 years or older. Influenza vaccination coverage among influenza-like illness patients was 24% in sentinel general practices and 50% in hospitals.

Discussion: The 2012 influenza season in Victoria was average compared to previous years, with an increased dominance of A/H3 accompanied by increases in older and hospitalized cases. Differences in magnitude and the epidemiological profile of cases detected by the different data sources demonstrate the importance of using a range of surveillance data to assess the relative severity of influenza seasons.

Downloads

Published

23-08-2013

How to Cite

1.
Fielding J, Grant K, Franklin L, Sullivan S, Papadakis G, Kelly H, Cheng A. Epidemiology of the 2012 influenza season in Victoria, Australia. Western Pac Surveill Response J [Internet]. 2013 Aug. 23 [cited 2026 Mar. 21];4(3). Available from: https://ojs.wpro.who.int/ojs/index.php/wpsar/article/view/101

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 3 (2013): July – September

Section

Surveillance Report

License

You are free to:

  • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
  • The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.

Under the following terms:

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
  • No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Notices:

When the Licensor is an intergovernmental organization, disputes will be resolved by mediation and arbitration unless otherwise agreed.

You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.

No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.

Most read articles by the same author(s)