Abstract
The extensive laboratory investigations of respiratory disease in the U.K. over many years have demonstrated the frequency with which influenza viruses, both A and B, are found each winter. Only rarely are none isolated. These findings correlate well with other indicators of influenza such as increases in sickness benefit claims and in deaths attributed to influenza and pneumonia. However, outside these demonstrable peaks of incidence influenza viruses have been found to circulate over considerably longer periods often first appearing as early as November and continuing through to April or even May. But there has been no regular or predictable pattern determined. The period of 1968-76 has seen a series of differently developing influenza winter epidemics caused by a series of the H3N2 virus. The contributions of virus isolation and serology to influenza surveillance is discussed.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Miller D. L., Pereira M. S., Clarke M. Epidemiology of the Hong Kong-68 variant of influenza A2 in Britain. Br Med J. 1971 Feb 27;1(5747):475–479. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5747.475. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pereira M. S., Chakraverty P., Schild G. C., Coleman M. T., Dowdle W. R. Prevalence of antibody to current influenza viruses and effect of vaccination on antibody response. Br Med J. 1972 Dec 23;4(5842):701–703. doi: 10.1136/bmj.4.5842.701. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pereira M. S. The role of epidemiological surveillance in the immunoprophylaxis of influenza. Postgrad Med J. 1976 Jun;52(608):323–326. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.52.608.323. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Schild G. C., Henry-Aymard M., Pereira H. G. A quantitative, single-radial-diffusion test for immunological studies with influenza virus. J Gen Virol. 1972 Aug;16(2):231–236. doi: 10.1099/0022-1317-16-2-231. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Schild G. C., Pereira M. S., Chakraverty P. Single-radial-hemolysis: a new method for the assay of antibody to influenza haemagglutinin. Applications for diagnosis and seroepidemiologic surveillance of influenza. Bull World Health Organ. 1975;52(1):43–50. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]