Media release
*BACKGROUND BRIEFING – Thursday 25 June 2015 at 10:30 am AEST Online*
***A full recording can be found below***
Amid a rise in the number of influenza cases in Australia, indicating the start of the influenza season, experts are warning that Australia is facing a severe flu season this year. The numbers are grim: by the end of May there have been 9132 laboratory-confirmed cases, which represents a 47 per cent increase of influenza cases compared with the same period last year. So what does the upcoming 'horror' flu season mean for Australians? Join us for this online briefing, as three experts take us through what's expected.
The briefing will discuss the following issues:
- Current strains of flu circulating in Australia and worldwide
- Current infection rates and infection forecasts in Australia
- Influenza vaccines on offer this season and what protection they offer
- Clinical implications of this flu season: hospital treatments, overwhelmed emergency departments and ambulance ramping
- Tips on how to avoid the flu
SPEAKERS:
- Dr Alan Hampson is an influenza consultant and Chair of the Australian Influenza Specialist Group
- Dr Rod Pearce is a GP and Deputy Chair of the Australian Influenza Specialist Group
- Professor Mary-Louise McLaws is from the Hospital Infection and Epidemiology Surveillance Unit within the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of New South Wales (UNSW)
DATE: THU 25 JUNE 2015
START TIME: FINISHED
DURATION: Approx 45 min
VENUE: Online
NB: The AusSMC generally runs two different types of media briefings:
NEWS BRIEFINGS – Where new research or data will be released as part of the briefing
BACKGROUND BRIEFINGS – Where experts discuss an issue which is in the news or an issue we consider newsworthy, but no new research or data is being released
