Infuenza Specialist Group

August 2008

New research by American scientists  has revealed that antibodies from survivors of the 1918 flu pandemic, the worst in human memory, still protects against the deadly virus. The findings detailed in the journal Nature (Neutralizing antibodies derived from the B cells of 1918 influenza pandemic survivors, Yu et al,  (http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature07231) report that the immune systems of the pandemic survivors, still alive today, carry a memory of that virus and can produce antibodies that kill the 1918 flu strain with surprising efficiency.  "It was very surprising that these subjects would still have cells floating in their blood so long afterward," said Dr. James Crowe of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, who helped lead the study. "The antibodies that we isolated are remarkable antibodies. They grab onto the virus very tightly and they virtually never fall off," Crowe said in a telephone interview. "That allows them to kill the 1918 virus with extreme potency, meaning it takes a very small amount of antibody.

Content Updated ( Wednesday, 3rd September 2008)

August 2008

The National Drugs and Poisons Committee announced this month its decision to maintain the current prescription only (S4) scheduling of oseltamivir, a treatment for seasonal influenza. A submission made earlier this year to the Committee regarding the rescheduling of oseltamivir to a pharmacist only (S3) medication instigated the Committee's review. The Committee concluded at its June meeting that a rescheduling was unnecessary as state governments were putting in place legislation and regulation to extend access to the drug during an influenza epidemic. The decision to keep oseltamivir on prescription rather than down-schedule it to S3 was made despite the majority, ten out of fourteen submissions received, being in favour of a down-scheduling.

Content Update (Wednesday, 3rd September 2008)

August 2008

A study undertaken at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) at Westmead together with several GP practices  has demonstrated that providing influenza vaccination intradermally produces a stronger immune response compared with the traditional intra muscular vaccination route for elderly patients. Using a new microinjection system, the NCIRS researchers compared the different vaccination delivery methods in more than 1,100 volunteers aged 60 years and older. The study is reported in the Journal of Infectious Diseases (198:650-658).

Content Updated ( Wedensday, 3rd September 2008)

June 2008

An Australian-developed and manufactured avian influenza vaccine has received TGA approval in Australia. The TGA announced on 17 June that it had approved the licence for Panvax, manufactured by CSL, for use in the prevention of influenza caused by a pandemic strain of the avian influenza virus. "The vaccine, Panvax, protects humans against the H5N1 influenza virus, which has been responsible for outbreaks of avian influenza in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa," Health Minister Nicola Roxon said in a statement. Three randomised, double-blind clinical studies were conducted to assess the safety of the vaccine in adults aged 18-64, and older adults aged 65 years and over, Roxon said. The vaccine, is administered in two doses and can only be used once an influenza pandemic has been officially declared by the World Health Organisation.

Content Updated (Wednesday, 9 July)

June 2008

The Hong Kong government is reportedly considering expanding the influenza vaccination program to include children aged under five years. York Chow, Secretary for Food and Health of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, told lawmakers that an additional 219,000 children will benefit once the program expands. Chow said the HKSAR government is also studying the feasibility of subsidising private doctors to provide the vaccinations. Centre for Health Protection Controller Dr. Thomas Tsang said the expansion is due to the higher hospitalization rate of children aged two to five compared with the general population. Tsang further added that about 287,000 people received vaccination last year, taking up almost the entire 300,000 vaccines prepared by the HKSAR government.

Content Updated (Wednesday, 9 July 2008)

June 2008  

Despite being at increased risk of influenza-related complications, almost two-thirds of people with asthma in the US are not vaccinated against influenza each year, according to an analysis of data from the 2005-2006 influenza season. The findings come from a study of 1248 subjects with asthma who completed the 2006 National Health Interview Survey. Just 36 percent of respondents were vaccinated against influenza between September 2005 and February 2006. The vaccine coverage rate did improve slightly if patients had experienced asthma problems. The findings suggest that more needs to be done to achieve the Healthy People 2010 goal of influenza vaccine coverage of at least 60 percent among individuals with high-risk conditions, the researchers stated.

Content Updated (Wednesday, 9 June 2008)

June 2008  

NSW Health Minister Reba Meagher announced the State will spend more than $2 million to further protect NSW from large scale infectious diseases such as an influenza pandemic. "Today's investment will ensure that NSW continues to lead the way in bio-preparedness in Australia and ensure that in the event of an influenza pandemic our public health system is ready," Ms Meagher said in a statement. Ms Meagher added that NSW had already established a number of programs, including a bio-preparedness unit within NSW Health and an area health service for influenza pandemic planning.

Content Updated (Wednesday, 9 July 2008)

June 2008

World readiness for an influenza pandemic has improved after an "extraordinary global response" to the avian influenza threat of recent years, said David Nabarro, a United Nations official. However the U.N's influenza coordinator said the risk of a pandemic remained, should the avian influenza virus mutate into a form that is easily transmitted between humans. While H5N1 avian influenza strain rarely infects humans it has caused the death or destruction of an estimated 300 million birds since it resurfaced in Asia in 2003. The world was also much better prepared than it was in 2005 to cope with a possible pandemic, with about 160 nations having plans in place, Nabarro said.

Content Updated (Wednesday, 9 July 2008)

April 2008

Closing schools during an influenza pandemic could prevent one in seven cases of influenza, British researchers said in a study that suggests such action would have less impact than some other estimates. But they said school closings would create significant hardships for working parents, who might be forced to create informal day care arrangements that would undo efforts to contain the spread of influenza.

 "We find school closings would be less effective than some studies have suggested," said Dr. Simon Cauchemez of Imperial College London, whose study appears in the journal Nature. Cauchemez and colleagues used public health data from France that compared influenza transmission when school was in session and during school holidays.

Content Updated (Monday, 19 May 2008)

Healthcare workers told to get vaccinated against influenza 

April 2008

A panel of experts at a briefing organised by the Influenza Specialist Group, have warned that influenza vaccination rates among Australian healthcare professionals is "unacceptably low" putting them at an increased risk of developing the disease, with potentially serious implications for themselves and patients in their care.

"Despite the fact that influenza kills more than 2,500 Australians annually, the people who care for the wellbeing of our community are often the least protected during the influenza season, with 50-80 per cent of healthcare professionals not getting vaccinated regularly" said Professor Robert Booy, Director of Research at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) at The Children's Hospital, Westmead. Ideally, uptake rates should be closer to 75 per cent, he said.

Content Updated (Monday, 19 May 2008)