No one can predict what impact this year's flu strains will have, says Immunisation Advisory Centre clinical director Dr Nikki Turner.
This year's season appears to have begun early, with the reappearance of the H1N1 strain that infected hundreds of Kiwis in 2009.
In the Hawke's Bay one patient is in a coma and three others are in intensive care.
When it first emerged in 2009 H1N1 was known as 'swine flu', but that's now a slightly misleading term to use says Dr Turner.
"It is the same strain, but it has now gone into a seasonal flu behaviour, so we don't tend to use 'swine flu' because there are other sorts of swine flu out there that are possible. I think it'll confuse us all," she said on Firstline this morning.
As H1N1 has done the rounds before, it is protected against in this year's flu vaccine. Dr Turner says you don't need to be in a vulnerable group to fall victim to the flu, so it pays to get immunised.
"Interestingly some of these cases that we've had in the Hawke's Bay are people who don't have any underlying conditions," she says.
It's especially important pregnant women protect themselves – and their unborn children – from the virus.
"If we vaccinate all pregnant women we will be give significant protection to young children. New Zealand data shows that our young infants in particular get a lot of flu, and can end up hospitalised and even die."
Last year the flu season came quite late, not taking hold until spring. Dr Turner says these cases don't prove this year's season is fully underway – they could be isolated cases.
"It's very hard to predict if this is going to be the start of a full flu season, or whether they're just small case outbreaks. We just don't know."
The flu shot is also free to under-fives and in Canterbury to under-18s, as part of a post-quake and post-flooding health initiative, as well as over 65s, pregnant women and people with certain medical conditions.
3 News
source: newshub archive
