The University of Adelaide has been successful in its bid to continue to collect and report on influenza-like illness across the nation for the Australian Government Department of Health – a service it has been providing since 2006.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that between three and five million cases of severe illness and between 250,000 and 500,000 deaths occur every year around the world associated with influenza. According to the Influenza Specialist Group, it is believed that there are some 1,500-2,500 influenza-related deaths annually in Australia.
Since 1991, general practices around the country have been surveyed with regard to influenza related consultations. This is necessary to provide an early warning of influenza epidemic activity. Timely reporting is supported by swab testing of patients with symptoms to also provide a national picture of the subtypes of flu viruses circulating.
Professor Nigel Stocks and the Australian Sentinel Practices Research Network (ASPREN) within the School of Population Health has been successfully providing the influenza surveillance service. ASPREN subcontracts SA Pathology to perform its influenza swab sample analysis and engages the Data Management and Analysis Centre (another unit within the School), to maintain the database.
The new contract was awarded via a tender process and runs from November 2014 until January 2017.
(Image: ZUMA Press)