Winter is here - and so is flu

The strains of flu in circulation have seen production levels fall by 10 to 12 percent this winter through employees being booked off sick.

The strains of flu in circulation have seen production levels fall by 10 to 12 percent this winter through employees being booked off sick.

Published Jun 29, 2015

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Cape Town - The winter chill is making its presence felt, and so is the flu virus.

Influenza epidemics are estimated to cause between 3 and 5 million cases of severe illnesses and between 250 000 and 500 000 deaths worldwide every year.

 

Medical epidemiologist at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) Dr Sibongile Walaza said: “In South Africa, we estimate on average that there are more than 20 000 hospitalisations and nearly 10 000 deaths from influenza each year. The burden of hospitalisations and deaths due to influenza can vary substantially from year to year, depending on the transmission and virulence characteristics of the circulating strain.”

Every year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) monitors the spread of influenza in both the northern and southern hemispheres and identifies those flu strains that are the most virulent and which pose the biggest threat to human health.

“The WHO then makes recommendations regarding the three strains that should be protected against in the southern and northern hemisphere vaccines,” Dr Jacques Snyman, clinical adviser for Resolution Health Medical Scheme said.

He added “it was felt that the vaccine for 2014-15 northern hemisphere was not well matched to certain virulent types that were in widespread circulation and the US Centres for Disease Control reported that more than 100 children died as a result of flu infections during their winter”.

Based on data from the NICD’s national influenza surveillance system, influenza A (H1N1) is currently the predominant strain, although Walaza said this could change.

In the majority of people, influenza is an uncomplicated illness characterised by the sudden onset of symptoms such as fever, body aches and pains, cough, sore throat, runny nose and headache, and typically resolves in three to seven days.

The southern hemisphere flu vaccine administered in South Africa protects against the H1N1 (swine flu), H3N3 and type B flu strains.

Walaza said influenza viruses are always changing.

“Usually one of the three types is a dominant strain each year. Each year’s influenza vaccine is made to protect against three viruses that are likely to cause disease that year.

“The severity of illness is hard to describe early in the season. We expect that there will be people admitted to hospital with influenza-associated pneumonia every year,” she said.

The change in strains resulted in manufacturing and quality control delays of the 2015 southern hemisphere vaccine globally, and subsequently delayed delivery and availability of the vaccine.

The vaccine, which is usually available in South Africa earlier in the year, was ready only in mid-April.

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The Star

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