‘Japanese’ flu strain runs riot as first areas hit epidemic levels
FLU has reached epidemic levels in some parts of the country with the “Japanese” strain now dominant after the NHS failed to vaccinate against it, official figures show.
Latest data from Public Health England (PHE) show that cases of flu have risen by 150 per cent in two weeks, contributing to a “significant excess” of elderly deaths. The statistics show that epidemic levels have already been reached in York, with Herefordshire and north Somerset close behind.
Health officials said the current season was the worst for seven years. If trends continue, an epidemic will be declared across England within a fortnight. GPS last night urged sufferers to stay at home, rather than adding to pressures on practices and widening the spread of the virus.
Senior doctors have accused health officials of making the crisis worse by trying to cut costs on vaccines. Health officials had been fearful about the impact of an A strain of flu, H3N2, labelled “Aussie flu”, after it fuelled the worst flu season in Australia for a decade.
But the new figures suggest that B strains are now dominating, making up more than six in 10 cases admitted to hospital last week. The vast majority of those cases involve a strain called “Byamagata” – known as Japanese flu – which is not covered by the vaccines most patients have received.
Two types of vaccine were available to the NHS – a £5 trivalent version covering three main strains of flu, and an £8 quadrivalent version protecting against four strains.
But NHS senior managers say GPS were put under pressure by health officials to choose the cheaper option, excluding the Japanese strain now spreading through hospitals.
The latest statistics suggest around 4,500 people were admitted to hospital with flu last week. Of those, 61 per cent were suffering from influenza B, the vast majority with the B-yamagata strain. Dr Nick Scriven, president of the Society of Acute Medicine, said: “It’s very clear that Japanese flu is pushing up admission rates, and having a major impact on intensive care units – it can be really nasty.”
It follows concern that the vaccinations are failing to sufficiently protect the elderly against the “Aussie” strain, with a new type of jab planned for next year, after last year’s had zero effectiveness among over-65s. Dr Scriven said: “We need to look again at the decisions
the NHS is making on vaccinations; year after year, we are not getting it right.”
The new data shows “significant excess” deaths last week among the over65s in England, and among all age groups in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Eighteen local authorities now have high levels of flu, while one – York – has crossed the epidemic threshold of 109 cases per 100,000 people. In Herefordshire there are 102.5 cases per 100,000, with 95.3 cases per 100,000 in north Somerset. Across the country, the figure is 53.1 cases per 100,000 – a rise of 152 per cent in two weeks, with 120 deaths so far this winter.
Figures from internet surveillance suggest more than 15 per cent of people have suffered flu-like illness in the past week – more than eight million people.
More than 31,000 are estimated to have visited their GP because of flu symptoms in the last week.
Prof Helen Stokes-lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPS, said family doctors were under “huge” pressures as she begged patients to stay away if they could care for themselves.
Prof Paul Cosford, medical director of PHE, said the hospital admissions reflected “the most significant flu season since the winter of 2010-11 and the preceding pandemic year of 2009”. NHS England said: “Young children, who are most likely to spread flu, are now given the quadrivalent vaccine, which is the most effective protection for them.
“But for older people, medical experts have advised GPS that it was unlikely to provide them with extra benefits, so GPS and pharmacists took account of this when many months ago they ordered their stocks for this flu season.”