Flu Far East strain
PA Wellington The influenza troubling New Zealanders this winter appears to have come from the Far East, according to a National Health Institute medical virologist, Dr Martin Tobias.
It is influenza type A, which has not been evident for about three years, and he thought it
could be the A-Taiwan strain which hit China, Hong Kong and Singapore at the beginning of the year.
It was too early to confirm the strain, but if it was A-Taiwan, it could infect people who have had flu vaccinations, as it would be different from the strain incorporated in the vaccine, he said.
However, vaccines would still protect people from the severity of the infection, and the strain did not appear to be a particularly virulent one. The Health Department has received no reports of severe flu affecting any of its districts, according to the assistant director of communicable diseases, Dr Arvind Patel.
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Press, 24 July 1986, Page 8
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154Flu Far East strain Press, 24 July 1986, Page 8
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