Influenza outbreak preparedness: lessons from outbreaks in residential care facilities in 2014.

This report describes 6 influenza outbreaks in residential care facilities during the 2014 influenza season in the Sydney Local Health District. Vaccination rates were high among residents (95%) and low among staff (39%). The majority of residents with laboratory confirmed influenza (67%) did not meet the influenza-like illness case definition.Positive influenza specimens were subtyped as H3N2 (40%), H1N1 (5%) or not subtyped (55%). We illustrate the implications of low vaccine effectiveness and antigenic drift, and provide recommendations for the effective management of future influenza outbreaks. PMID: 26234256 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Communicable Diseases Intelligence Quarterly Report - Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Commun Dis Intell Q Rep Source Type: research