Influenza epidemiology in adults admitted to sentinel Australian hospitals in 2014: the Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN)

Authors

  • Allen C Cheng Alfred Health; Monash University
  • Mark Holmes University of Adelaide, Royal Adelaide Hospital
  • Sanjaya Senanayake Australian National University, Canberra Hospital
  • Dominic E Dwyer University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital
  • Saliya Hewagama Alice Springs Hospital
  • Tony Korman Monash Medical Centre; Monash University
  • Louis Irving Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne
  • Simon Brown University of Western Australia, Royal Perth Hospital
  • Grant W Waterer University of Western Australia, Royal Perth Hospital
  • Cameron Hunter University of Tasmania
  • N Deborah Friedman University Hospital Geelong
  • Peter Wark University of Newcastle, John Hunter Hospital
  • Graham Simpson Cairns Base Hospital
  • John Upham Princess Alexandra Hospital, University of Queensland
  • Simon Bowler Mater Hospitals
  • Kristine Macartney Children’s Hospital at Westmead
  • Christopher Blyth Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Western Australia; Telethon Kids Institute
  • Tom Kotsimbos Alfred Health; Monash University
  • Paul Kelly ACT Health Directorate

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2015.39.40

Keywords:

influenza, hospitalisation, morbidity

Abstract

The Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN) is a sentinel hospital-based surveillance program that operates at sites in all states and territories in Australia. This report summarises the epidemiology of hospitalisations with laboratory-confirmed influenza during the 2014 influenza season. In this observational study, cases were defined as patients admitted to one of the sentinel hospitals with an acute respiratory illness with influenza confirmed by nucleic acid detection. During the period 3 April to 31 October 2014 (the 2014 influenza season), 1,692 adult patients (>16 years) were admitted with confirmed influenza to one of 15 of 17 FluCAN sentinel hospitals (excluding 2 paediatric hospitals). Of these, 47% were over 65 years of age, 10% were Indigenous Australians, 3.3% were pregnant and 85% had chronic co-morbidities. The majority of cases were due to influenza A. Influenza B was detected in 7% of patients. There were a large number of hospital admissions detected with confirmed influenza in this national observational surveillance system in 2014. These are estimated to represent a national annual burden of around 15,000 admissions and almost 100,000 bed-days nationally. Commun Dis Intell 2015;39(3):E355–E360.

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Published

01/09/15

How to Cite

Cheng, Allen C, Mark Holmes, Sanjaya Senanayake, Dominic E Dwyer, Saliya Hewagama, Tony Korman, Louis Irving, et al. 2015. “Influenza Epidemiology in Adults Admitted to Sentinel Australian Hospitals in 2014: The Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN)”. Communicable Diseases Intelligence 39 (September):355-60. https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2015.39.40.

Issue

Vol. 39 (2015)

Section

Annual report

Categories

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