摘要：Surveillance of in. uenza in Australia is based on laboratory isolation of in. uenza viruses, sentinel general-practitioner practices for in. uenza-like illness, and absenteeism data from a major national employer. In 2003, the peak in in. uenza activity was in August which was later than in 2002. In 2003, 3,604 labora-tory-confi rmed cases of in. uenza were notifi ed to the National Notifi able Diseases Surveillance System, which was marginally lower than for the previous year. Ninety-four per cent of the circulating viruses were in. uenza A. This was the highest proportion in the last fi ve years. Nine hundred and thirty-fi ve isolates were antigenically analysed: 928 were A(H3), two were A(H1) strains and fi ve were in. uenza B viruses. The majority (98%) of the A(H3) subtypes were A/Fujian/411/2002(H3N2)-like and have shown a signifi cant antigenic drift. The 2003 Australian in. uenza vaccine contained A/Panama/2007/99, which induced 2–4-fold lower antibody response against the drifted strain. An A/Fujian/411/2002(H3N2)-like virus has been incorporated in the Australian in. uenza vaccine for 2004. In 2003, the in. uenza vaccine was given to 77 per cent of Australians aged over 65 years; the same up take as in 2002. Commun Dis
关键词：in. uenza; surveillance; vaccine; general practice; in. uenza-like illness
