Influenza - remember that ?

[rogespeed]

I do not know what the situation is regarding the annual global influenza menace - i am aware we escaped with barely an untimely death last season - but it must be still out there , meaning the northern hemisphere , so could we also include screening repatriation and special visa people for influenza before they are allowed on the freedom flight to Australia ?

Is this reasonable ?

ps - we be interesting to note any improvement in productivity this winter as noted by sicky rate compared with pre-covid years 

[not_for_sale2025]

Personally, I think it would be an overreaction and unnecessary. I don't know the number of flu-related deaths reported last year either, but I do know they plummeted. And the confirmed flu cases dropped from 300,000 in 2019 to 21,000 last year.

The main message I get from the data is the importance of good hygiene, the benefits from wearing a mask, and the need to be sensible when outside the protection of one's home. If people were to do these things, and throw in a healthier lifestyle, then the risk of contracting Covid, the flu or other nasty bugs would be greatly reduced. Last year all but proved that.

[the_great_she_elephant]

Mr Elephant and I both had our flu vaccs a couple of weeks ago and are due for our second Covid ones early next month- so we are both pretty safe whatever happens.

[springyzone]

I'd say the reason flu was down last year is twofold. 

Firstly, every man and his dog rushed to have the vaccine last year, it was hard to get the jab for a while. That has never happened to me before.

Secondly, people were isolating, wearing masks, wiping down trolleys and so on.

Plus- and a very big plus-it finally became socially acceptable to take time off work if you were not well. In fact it became the responsible thing to do. No more expectation that you would 'soldier on' with codral or anything else.

I think the main thing to ask yourself about screening is this-did we screen for flu before covid? I think the answer would be we didn't. people weren't supposed to get on flights when they were sick but we didn't worry too much about whether they might be harbouring it.

These people coming in are being screened for covid because it is many times more serious than flu. The people are going into 14 days of quarantine. If they come down with flu they will be in quarantine anyway so they are unlikely to pass it on to the community.
I'd say keep things simple. test for covid, quarantine on arrival, if they show symptoms of some other illness while in quarantine, just treat it.

[rogespeed]

The same could be said for covid ..... just let them in enmass and we will deal with the resultant corpses

Facts are no influenza related death nationally since July 2020 - so down average 68 deaths per month in the pneumonia/influenza  stats , also less hours in lost workplace productivity , less misery - a healthier and happier nation . Interestingly pneumonia only related deaths down 20% , which implies anti-covid hygiene practices have had additional health benefits but could be other factors as well

https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/provisional-mortality-statistics/latest-releas...

[not_for_sale2025]

"The same could be said for covid ..... just let them in enmass and we will deal with the resultant corpses".

But who would be the corpses, them or us?

[rogespeed]

Does it matter ?

[katistrophik]

I am betting it would if NFS replaced the word 'us' with You