Australian Influenza Surveillance Report - week ending 05 May 2019 (#01/2019)

The Australian Influenza Surveillance Report and Activity Updates are compiled from a number of data sources, which are used to monitor influenza activity and severity in the community. These data sources include laboratory-confirmed notifications to NNDSS; influenza associated hospitalisations; sentinel influenza-like illness (ILI) reporting from general practitioners; ILI-related community level surveys; and sentinel laboratory testing results.

Page last updated: 14 May 2019

The Australian Influenza Surveillance Report is published on a fortnightly basis during the influenza season, typically between May and October. Influenza activity updates will be published outside of the seasonal period.

Australian Influenza Surveillance Report No 01 - week ending 05 May 2019

Key Messages

  • Activity – Currently, influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) activity are high for this time of year compared to previous years. At the national level, notifications of laboratory-confirmed influenza have decreased in the past fortnight, however it is likely these figures will be revised upwards due to backlogs in data entry. Influenza A was the most common respiratory virus detected in patients presenting with ILI to sentinel general practices this fortnight.
  • Severity – There is no indication of the potential severity of the 2019 season at this time.
  • Impact – There is no indication of the potential impact on society of the 2019 season at this time.
  • Virology – In the year to date and in the past fortnight, the majority of confirmed influenza cases reported nationally were influenza A (93%). Where subtyping data were available, influenza A(H3N2) was the dominant influenza A subtype in the past fortnight.

Full Report

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Previous Reports and Updates

Annual Reports

Accessibility Issues

Should you encounter issues in accessing the information contained either on this webpage or within the downloadable full reports please email flu (flu@health.gov.au) or contact the Department of Health switchboard on 02 6289 1555 or 1800 020 103.

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