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There has been a seven-fold increase in the number of serious cases of flu in December, Queensland Health has confirmed.

There have been 57 laboratory-confirmed case of influenza in Brisbane since the start of the month, seven times the eight notifications for December 2009.

Queensland-wide, there have been 338 confirmed flu cases, more than seven times the 47 in December 2009.

Advertisement: Story continues below Queensland Health's acting chief health officer Aaron Groves said the flu season in Brisbane started in September, which was later than last year, when the flu season hit in the May to July period.

However, Dr Groves said 2010 had been an overall milder year for flu cases.

"Despite the number of flu notifications being higher in December 2010, compared to December 2009, there has been a downward trend in numbers across the last 12 months," he said.

Up until yesterday, there had been 2930 confirmed flu cases in Queensland this year, considerably less that the 18,307 in 2009 thanks largely to the swine flu epidemic.

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Gino Pecoraro said the late-year flu season had little to do with meteorology.

"There is no link with the weather, because it just a virus," he said.

"Other than, I suppose, if it is cold and wet people might spend more time indoors and closer to each other."

Dr Pecoraro said it was also too early to suggest that Brisbane, or Queensland more generally, might be moving towards a later flu season.

"If it happened like this for a couple of years then we could be saying that the peak flu season in Brisbane wasn't in June any more, but in spring, August, September," he said.

"I don't think that will happen, but you can only say that only after a couple of years to see whether it is more than a statistical blimp on a graph."

Dr Pecoraro encouraged people who might spend more time close together inside over a wet Christmas to wash their hands, to cover their noses and to use tissues rather than handkerchiefs to control the spread of the flu virus.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbei ... 1970o.html

I wonder whether we'll cop UK flu over the summer? From memory, summer flu down is rare.

I really hope you guys don't, it's not pleasant what's going around. We'll hopefully have more figures (numbers of deaths and illnesses) later this week. The January sales started today of all days. People rushing around again, queueing outside stores to beat the VAT rise from January 1st, freezing cold, ideal conditions.

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Praemonitus, Praemunitus..Forewarned is Forearmed.

This article is not about Australia but I have included it here because its the first news article i have seen in Australia on swine flu outside Australia.

''Swine flu claims 22 lives in Sri Lanka'' From: AFP December 27, 2010 6:58PM

SWINE flu in Sri Lanka has killed 22 people and infected more than 300 during the past two months, the island's health ministry said today.
Official figures showed that 22 people infected with H1N1 - swine flu - had died since October 25 while 342 cases were reported during this period.

"The strain of influenza affects peoples' lungs and triggers off a strain of viral pneumonia. The heavy rains and the cold weather helped spread the virus," government epidemiologist Sudath Peiris said.



http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/brea ... 5976813118

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/st ... -cold-ill/

Late summer flu surge

THE number of serious summer flu cases on the Sunshine Coast has increased three-fold.

Influenza, or “the flu”, generally occurs in higher numbers each year from May to September.

But health authorities are seeing a late surge in the number of cases.

Last year, Queensland Health officially recorded four presentations from December 1 until January 7.

But over the past six weeks, this has increased to 12.

Maroochydore 7 Day Medical Centre pharmacist Tony Hunkin said he had observed a similar increase trend with colds.

“The drop in temperature and the rain means more people are spending indoors,” he said.

“Both colds and flus can be spread through people talking, coughing and sneezing.”

A person can spread influenza to others a day or two before they become unwell and up to five days after they have become unwell.

Symptoms usually appear one to three days after being infected.

There have been 57 laboratory-confirmed case of influenza in Brisbane, seven times the eight notifications for December 2009.

Across Queensland, the December 2010 figure was 484 with 50 notifications since January 1.

The equivalent December ’09 and January ’10 figures were 58 and 13.