摘要：In. uenza surveillance in Victoria comprises surveillance of patients with in. uenza-like illness (ILI) from sentinel general practices and laboratory based reporting of in. uenza detections, predominantly from hospital inpatients. Surveillance of patients with ILI seen by the Melbourne Medical Locum Service (MMLS) was conducted for the fi rst time in 2003, when the in. uenza season was characterised by a late onset with higher than normal seasonal activity. In. uenza A (H3N2) was the predominant circulating in. uenza virus type, with 99 per cent of sub-typed viruses identifi ed as a drifted strain, A/Fujian/411/2002-like. Sentinel and hospital laboratory surveillance both indicated low levels of circulat-ing in. uenza A (H1N1) and in. uenza B. Although the proportion of patients with ILI detected through MMLS surveillance was greater than the proportion from sentinel general practices, the ILI pattern was comparable between the two surveillance systems
