Public Health Response to Influenza
10. Public Health Response to Influenza Influenza epidemics occur each year during the winter season. Vaccination of high-risk groups and individuals wishing to protect themselves against influenza is recommended prior to the expected start of the annual influenza season. No public health response is required in response to isolated cases of influenza or outbreaks of mild disease
10. Public Health Response to Influenza
Influenza epidemics occur each year during the winter season. Vaccination of high-risk groups and individuals wishing to protect themselves against influenza is recommended prior to the expected start of the annual influenza season. No public health response is required in response to isolated cases of influenza or outbreaks of mild disease especially in the influenza season.
10.1 Outbreaks should be investigated in the following circumstances:
- A cluster of two or more cases of severe respiratory illness (requiring hospitalisation).
- An outbreak in a closed community e.g. care home, school, healthcare facility, where individuals in the community are at substantial increased risk of severe disease, or the outbreak is causing substantial disruption.
10.1.1 During an outbreak in a closed or semi-closed community the following measures should be considered:
- Isolation of residents of closed settings for the duration of the infectious period (five days after symptom onset).
- Cohorting of patients (that is, in separate hospital bays or on separate floors of a residential home, dormitories) may be necessary.
- Residential homes may need to be closed to new admissions until the outbreak is controlled.
- Care must be taken when discharging a patient from a ward with a known influenza outbreak to a care home, or vice versa.
- Full or partial school closures are not generally recommended on public health grounds, although it is recognized that they may be considered on logistical grounds by the school.
- Administer the current season’s influenza vaccine to unvaccinated residents and health care personnel. It is important to note though that because influenza spreads fast it is possible that it will be widespread by the time an outbreak is identified and therefore vaccination may not be effective.
Influenza: NICD recommendations for the diagnosis, management, prevention and public health response, National institute of communicable diseases, 2021