Turns out the 'Aussie flu' isn't responsible for deaths in Scotland

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

This was published 6 years ago

Turns out the 'Aussie flu' isn't responsible for deaths in Scotland

By Latika Bourke
Updated

London: Medical authorities in Scotland say the killer strain of flu sweeping the country did not originate from Australia and disputed media reporting of the number of lives claimed by the infection.

But Scotland's deputy chief medical officer Doctor Gregor Smith did not provide what authorities believe is the true number of deaths caused by the flu, which has swept across the entire United Kingdom, according to the online Flusurvey which maps flu cases.

Influenza A(H3N2) is being dubbed the "Aussie flu" after it caused the highest number of infections and deaths in Australia during the 2017 winter since the swine flu pandemic in 2009. Flu strains typically begin in the southern hemisphere and then move north, meaning any spikes recorded in the antipodean cold season are watched carefully across Europe and the United States.

Australia's health department said the strain "seemed to undergo some change during the year," rendering vaccinations less effective.

The H3N2 strain of influenza that killed more than 70 Australians is not the same strain affecting the UK.

The H3N2 strain of influenza that killed more than 70 Australians is not the same strain affecting the UK.Credit: Alexey Kotelnikov / Alamy Stock Photo

The British press have been warning of the "Lurgy from Down Under" and the "Killer Aussie Flu" as cases of infection spike.

Across the UK, 48 people have died from the flu this winter, with 24 deaths in the last week, according to the latest data from Public Health England.

More than 1000 people have been hospitalised over the past three months; 421 people are in hospital currently, with 114 admitted last week.

Of the 1078 people admitted over the northern hemisphere winter, 398 tested positive for influenza B, 291 tested positive for an unknown subtype of influenza A, 232 tested positive for the influenza A(H3N2) and 137 for the influenza A (H1N1) commonly known as the swine flu.

Advertisement

In the same week, Scotland was alone in the UK in recording "significant excess all-cause mortality". One in 46 Scots out of every 100,000 were suffering from the virus, comparing to 22 in every 100,000 for the same week in 2016, the government said.

In a letter to members of the Scottish parliament, Dr Smith said Scotland had experienced a "sharp rise" in cases of people infected with the influenza A (H3N2) virus but said it was unclear whether it was the cause in the spike in deaths.

"A small rise in all-cause mortality in the final weeks of 2017 has been reported as being a rise in 'flu-related deaths'."

"It is not possible to infer this from the data available and it it soo simplistic to say it this was due to the flu," he said.

Furthermore, he disputed media reports that the strain sweeping the country was the "Aussie flu".

"There has been discussion between the Scottish government and public health experts about the experience of southern hemisphere countries such as Australia for several months," Dr Gregor wrote.

"The predominant strain currently circulating Scotland is not the same strain that was predominant in Australia."

He said the vaccine being offered under the NHS is a "good match" for the predominant strain and said there had been no change in the number of Scots receiving the flu jab compared to last year.

In February 2016, the World Health Organisation, which coordinates global flu vaccine programs, updated the vaccine to include protection against the H3N2 virus as well as H1N1 and a type B virus.

Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon pounced on the letter.

The first minister last week apologised "unreservedly" to Scots unable to get treatment soon enough because of the winter strain on the NHS. Emergency waiting times between Christmas and New Year were the worst on record for Scotland, data released on Tuesday showed.

The cabinet secretary for health Shona Robinson told parliament that the system had been put under additional pressure by the spike in flu cases and said reporting on the number of deaths had been "alarmist."

"Four people have passed away in hospital who were admitted with flu related symptoms. Each one of these deaths is a personal and family tragedy,

However, all-cause mortality is not the same thing as flu-related deaths. This data reflects deaths due to any cause – accidents, other diseases, old-age. This is not just about flu," she said.

The US has also had a "moderately severe" flu season made worse by imperfect vaccines and steady cold weather. About 80 percent of cases are of the H3N2 strain, which caused more than 75 deaths in Australia last year.

But Dr Anthony S. Fauci, director of the US National Institute for Allergy and Infection diseases, told the New York Times that fears of the "killer Aussie flu" taking hold in the US are exaggerated because of two important differences between the two countries.

Loading

Fewer Australians are immune because flu shots are recommended only for health care workers and people at high risk whereas in the US, shots are recommended for everyone older than six months. Also, the same H3N2 strain that hit Australia circulated the US in their 2016-17 winter so anyone who caught it then should be immune in 2017-18.

Follow Latika Bourke on Facebook

Most Viewed in World

Loading