Influenza activity in Malta started in the first week of January and the highest number of influenza cases have been seen in the last week of January, the Disease Surveillance Unit within the Department of Public Health, said yesterday.

The department performs active sentinel surveillance of influenza where a number of doctors report on the cases they see in their practice. This gives an indication of the influenza activity in Malta. Samples are also taken from the patients who are tested to identify circulating strains.

Both Influenza type A and B, were reported, with type B predominating.

That this year’s influenza season has begun was confirmed by the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS) yesterday. There is currently increased influenza activity reported in five countries: Greece, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Spain and Switzerland, and this has been accompanied by increases in laboratory-confirmed influenza cases.

This increase in activity signals the start of the influenza season and, based on historical data, influenza activity is expected to increase in many more countries over the coming weeks.

According to Professor Koos van der Velden, chairman of EISS: “Influenza strikes and spreads quickly, so rapid action is vital. The key to a quick response is accurate and timely surveillance. Data from the EISS network enable us to track influenza across Europe, including the pattern and speed of its spread and the predominant virus strain. We can then alert health care professionals and patients to facilitate rapid diagnosis and treatment and minimise the potential impact of the season.”

This year’s (2006-2007) season started about two weeks earlier than last year’s (2005-2006), which had high levels of influenza virus detections in Europe from mid-February to late April. This year’s cases to date have primarily been of the H3 strain of the more virulent influenza A virus, the department said.

Influenza is highly contagious and spreads rapidly by coughs and sneezes from people who are already carrying the virus. Influenza affects approximately one in 10 people around the world every year, creating substantial demands on healthcare resources and escalating costs due to increases in primary care consultations, hospitalisation, clinical complications, drug treatment and absence from work.

The most common symptoms of influenza include an abrupt onset of fever, headache, muscle ache and a dry cough. The effects of influenza are debilitating, putting people out of action altogether, and recovery can take up to two weeks.

Anyone can get the flu and it can be especially serious for the elderly, children and people with certain medical conditions (commonly defined as high-risk people).

To reduce the risk of infection, the public should take general health precautions and, where possible, those infected with influenza should try to avoid close contact with others.

As Professor van der Velden says: “Speed is the key to all influenza management. Acting swiftly is crucial, both for health authorities and the general public. Flu is fast, so to beat it we need to be very quick too.”