The Flu Tracking Project is an online health surveillance system to detect epidemics of influenza.

Flu Tracking is a Department of Health and Ageing funded project and is part of the National Surveillance Platform for Influenza. A summary of Flu Tracking data is included in the National Weekly Flu Report.

Established by the Hunter New England Area Health Service and the NSW Government, the project seeks people who live in Australia and have easy access to email and the internet on a weekly basis. Participants spend about 10-15 seconds per week to respond to an email about symptoms they, or other household members, may have had in the previous week.

Participation is voluntary and the information remains confidential.

If you wish to participate, please use the the Flu Tracking Project link.

Download flyer here Flutracking Program Flyer 2v0.pdf

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

A study by the British Health Protection Agency found annual influenza vaccination in children could cut some types of the disease by up to 70 per cent. It called for all children under the age of two to be vaccinated to prevent the spread of disease in the community and to offer added protection to those at risk of developing serious complications from the virus. Influenza Specialist Group chairman Dr Alan Hampson said routine vaccination of children could help curb the spread of influenza. "There is a lot of evidence that vaccinating children is beneficial and there's a lot of evidence that children are major spreaders of influenza,'' Dr Hampson said. He added that while a case could be mounted to vaccinate very young children, it might nevertheless be difficult to mount a pharmacoeconomic argument for a government funded program.

Content Updated ( 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)

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)

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)

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)