Source : Perth Now news
Australia is facing a prolonged flu season which could be exacerbated by a spike in interstate travel due to the school holidays and the AFL Grand Final.
While WA is enjoying a milder flu season this year, thanks in part to rising child immunisation numbers, doctors have warned it is not over and say it is not too late to get vaccinated.
WA Health Department data published yesterday shows weekly influenza notifications fell by 20 to 686 for the week up to September 27.
This was in the “mid to higher-range” of cases usually reported at this time of year. With weekly case numbers at similar levels for the past few weeks it is unclear if WA’s flu season has peaked.
With 10,439 cases so far this year, WA is faring far better than NSW which has exceeded 80,000 cases and Victoria with more than 30,000.
But with 30,000 Fremantle fans returning home from Victoria and others travelling interstate during the school holidays, West Australians are being urged to remain vigilant.
Australian Medical Association WA’s GP spokesman Dr Simon Torvaldsen said the flu season so far had been mild but prolonged.
“We are still seeing people with influenza A and B, it’s quite likely a late peak of the season . . . if people aren’t vaccinated, they should be, especially if they are travelling,” Dr Torvaldsen said.
He said the trend of high case numbers in spring suggested people should not “rush out and get the vaccine too early.”
“Unfortunately some pharmacies promote this, pushing to vaccinate at the end of February, or in March, but the problem is if we get a late peak like we’re getting, your immunisation from the vaccine is starting to wear off just when you need it most,” he said.
Dr Torvaldsen said the introduction of needle-free vaccine Flu Mist in WA this year had played a role in WA’s mild season and was a “step forward.”
According to the latest Australian Centre for Disease Control report, influenza-like illness rates in helpline callers nationally have been increasing since April and since late August have been higher than at the same time in previous years.
The centre said the increase in influenza numbers later in the year was due to a combination of factors, including natural waning immunity following lower-than-usual case numbers earlier in the year and “increased population mixing” after the return to school following the July holidays.
Pharmacy Guild of Australia WA Branch president Andrew Ngeow said West Australians should be commended for getting vaccinated and being vigilant across the winter period, which had led to the lowest numbers recorded over the past four years.
He said the timing of WA’s successful free flu program was at the determination of the Department of Health’s experts.
