The 1st documented Influenza A pandemic (only influenza type A viruses cause pandemics) occurred in 1918 and was named the Spanish flu. It was estimated that the Spanish flu killed more people than WW1, with figures ranging from 20 to 40 million deaths. People dropped dead like flies.
Ever since then we've been terrorised by the occasional epidemic and pandemic every few decades or so. Recently, our flu hunting media has reported a total of 9 deaths, beginning in WA and scattering across the rest of Australia, of "previously well" children and adults dying with Influenza A.
This media frenzy has created a significant impact on health care workers in WA, NSW, Queensland and also in the only hospital in Victoria that caters specifically to children. I know this, because i am fortunate to be attached to Victoria's Hospital for Children (hereon referred to as VHC) for my 9 week rotation of paeds.
There has been a 50% increase in ED presentations over the last few weeks and doctors from all specialties have been asked for extra assistance with the GP clinic newly set up to deal with the influx of anxious parents. The question is: is this reaction justified?
An informative and interesting presentation on Friday to medical personnel showed that the number of reported cases of flu this winter has approximately tripled or quadrupled last year's figures over the same period. However, despite the increase in the number of documented cases, the number of children with significant morbidity remained the same as previous years.
In other words: although more people are rushing to the ED, the number of cases severe enough to require further investigation / observation / admission remained the same and the majority of cases are just our regular garden variety of respiratory infections that all kids at some point in their life will acquire.
Secondly, a very abbreviated summary of the preliminary autopsy report on 3 of the poor little boys in WA who passed away in their sleep were presented to us. All 3 boys had Influenza A and mixed streptococci (streptococcus of different strains) infections in addition to some other bugs. Our thoughts are that the boys could well have died from the other bacterial agents instead of influenza. Yet, the message given to the public is "BOY DIES AFTER FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS".
Not a wonder that parents are getting overly anxious about the so called "epidemic". I'd be worried sick too if i had a child who started having a fever, running nose, cough and sore throat. In addition to these warped views on the situation, there are people out there actively encouraging parents to bring their kid to hospital the moment they start sneezing. To these people (excluding the bereaved families of the deceased), i want to say, get a grip on yourself and stop blowing the situation out of proportion already.
Sure, it's easy for me to say this when it's not my child who has a potential risk of dying. In fact, one of the physicians present at the meeting admitted that he gave his son Oseltamivir the very day his child started having flu like symptoms. Yes, doctors are human and they have children too. *Gasp! What a revelation!* But do you see doctors carting their children off to the hospital once they get the smallest hint of a flu-like illness? Hint: when doctors start panicking, you should too, not before.
I'm not trying to criticise the parents who are flooding EDs all over Australia, in fact it's their job as parents to worry over their offspring, and they are doing a mighty good job of keeping a hawk's eye on Junior. Just sieve through the available information and be selective in which bits are reliable, consult a GP, take the flu vaccine (it covers for the strain of Influenza A found in the 3 boys), don't take antibiotics (they work only against bacteria and not viruses) and consider Oseltamivir.
Hopefully, no more children will die this winter from "the killer flu".
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