Influenza viruses in Queensland, Australia: 03-Mar-2014:09-2014.

Map of Queensland's Hospital and Health service
areas. Adapted from
http://www.health.qld.gov.au/maps/hhs_facilities.pdf.
Click on image to enlarge.

Sure enough, as promised on the 12-Mar, the new Queensland flu numbers are out (I post a week after the next new numbers come out publicly; its just the deal I have). So this follows on from last Wednesday.

This is the next week's numbers which follow on from my earlier post on the increased number of influenza cases and the media reports of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus  predominance.

The Queensland Health Statewide Communicable Disease Surveillance Report for the week 03-Mar:09-Mar has some extra detail, this week. The extra detail outlines that most (860; 94%) of this year's 918 influenza notifications (2.3X the 5-year year-to-date mean value) to date are located in the following Hospital Health Service (HHS) areas (see the map above):

• Metro South: 192 (21%)
• Metro North: 176 (19%)
• Gold Coast: 110 (12%)
• Cairns and Hinterland: 106 (12%)
• Townsville: 73 (8%)
• Darling Downs: 52 (6%)
• Sunshine Coast: 50 (5%)
• Cape York: 46 (5%)
• West Moreton: 28 (3%)
• Mackay: 27 (3%)

The median age of cases is 41-years and 50% are male. The highest rate of notifications is in the 50-59-year age group at 24.8/100,000.

Percentages represent the proportion of all 80 
notifications for this reporting period.IFAV-Influenza A virus; IFBV-Influenza B virus.
Click on image to enlarge.

This report also has some typing (Flu A or B) and subtyping data (H3N2 or H1N1).

These data are very much appreciated  since this is ahead of the traditional "flu season" reports. 

Many thanks to all associated with the Communicable Diseases Unit, Queensland Health, for adding this detail in. 

The chart above makes it very clear that H1N1 dominates the Qld influenza landscape so far. Specifically...

• 80 notifications with signs and symptoms during the reporting period
• 68 were typed as influenza type A viruses (85%)
• 13/14 were subtyped as H1N1 (pdm09 I presume; 93% of the FluAs that were subtyped)
• 1/14 H3N2
• 12 were typed as influenza type B viruses