Mild version of influenza spreads slowly among civilian population

Finland lacks effective influenza surveillance regime

print this

This year's winter influenza is creeping slowly through the Finnish population. The 'flu caused by the A/Wellington virus strain, first discovered in New Zealand, has so far manifested itself as small, contained outbreaks in different locations around Finland, mainly in schools, garrisons, and large-scale workplaces.
      Following the advance of the epidemic has proved difficult as neither the National Public Health Institute (KTL) nor any other research organisation has a comprehensive network of laboratories at their disposal for analysing samples.
      The national servicemen are the only ones of whom the exact number of those having contracted the illness is known on a day-to-day basis.
     
In the Vekaranjärvi and Kajaani garrisons about two percent of the strength is in bed rest. In Kajaani, over ten percent of the servicemen population visited the garrison surgery on Tuesday.
      "So far it seems that we will be spared from a fierce epidemic this year", says KTL laboratory director Reijo Pyhälä. Still, in the Nordic Countries the influenza wave is only just beginning.
      The influenza that swept across Spain a week ago is gradually settling. In Central Europe the illness has now expanded to epidemic proportions.
      Pyhälä estimates that next week the number of 'flu patients will increase in Finland, too, as schoolchildren in the south of the country start their spring breaks. In the worst case the epidemic may continue until the beginning of the written portion of the matriculation examinations on March 14th.
     
Finland lacks a surveillance system for the spread of different contagious diseases. So far, KTL only has a contract with three local health centres for receiving samples from patients who visit the clinics.
      "We would need to have at least 20 local health centres plus all the military garrisons in our network before the surveillance system would have any real practical benefits", estimates Pyhälä.
      "The findings of such monitoring could be posted on the Internet, and larger workplaces could be recommended, for example, not to require doctor's notes for a couple of days' absence during epidemic-peaks."


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Influenza epidemic rages in garrisons (10.2.2005)

Helsingin Sanomat