Laboratory-supported influenza surveillance in Victorian sentinel general practices

Authors

  • Heath Kelly Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria
  • Anne Murphy Department of Human Services Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria
  • Wendy Leong Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria
  • Jennie Leydon Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria
  • Penny Tresise Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria
  • Marie Gerrard Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria
  • Doris Chibo Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria
  • Chris Birch Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria
  • Ross Andrews Department of Human Services Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria
  • Mike Catton Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2000.24.68

Keywords:

influenza surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, community medicine

Abstract

Laboratory-supported influenza surveillance is important as part of pandemic preparedness, for identifying and isolating candidate vaccine strains, for supporting trials of anti-influenza drugs and for refining the influenza surveillance case definition in practice. This study describes the implementation of laboratory-supported influenza surveillance in Victorian sentinel general practices and provides an estimate of the proportion of patients with an influenza-like illness proven to have influenza. During 1998 and 1999, 25 sentinel general practices contributed clinical surveillance data and 16 metropolitan practices participated in laboratory surveillance. Serological, virus-antigen detection, virus culture and multiplex polymerase chain reaction procedures were used to establish the diagnosis of influenza. Two laboratories at major teaching hospitals in Melbourne provided additional data on influenza virus identification. General practice sentinel surveillance and laboratory identification of influenza provided similar data on the pattern of influenza in the community between May and September. The clinical suspicion of influenza was confirmed in 49 to 54 per cent of cases seen in general practice. Commun Dis Intell 2000:24;379-383.

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References

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Published

31/12/00

How to Cite

Kelly, Heath, Anne Murphy, Wendy Leong, Jennie Leydon, Penny Tresise, Marie Gerrard, Doris Chibo, Chris Birch, Ross Andrews, and Mike Catton. 2000. “Laboratory-Supported Influenza Surveillance in Victorian Sentinel General Practices”. Communicable Diseases Intelligence 24 (December):379-73. https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2000.24.68.

Issue

Vol. 24 (2000)

Section

Original article

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Copyright (c) 2000 Communicable Diseases Intelligence

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