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Influenza in the United Kingdom 1982–85

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

P. Chakraverty ,
P. Cunningham ,
G. Z. Shen  and
M. S. Pereira
P. Chakraverty
Affiliation:
Virus Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
P. Cunningham
Affiliation:
Virus Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
G. Z. Shen
Affiliation:
Virus Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
M. S. Pereira
Affiliation:
Virus Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
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Summary

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Influenza surveillance in the UK between the years 1982 and 1985 has demonstrated the regular winter appearance of influenza A virus of both H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes and influenza B.

Their antigenic diversity is described and correlated with the national statistics for morbidity and mortality for influenza.

One unexpected finding has been that despite the wide circulation of influenza viruses there has been a continuation of winters without significant increases in influenza deaths or morbidity. A previous report of influenza surveillance (Pereira & Chakraverty, 1982) noted an already unusual series of three consecutive winters with this pattern. This report records a further 4 years bringing a total of seven successive winters without evidence of epidemics of severe disease associated with influenza viruses, as indicated by the national UK statistics.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 97 , Issue 2 , October 1986 , pp. 347 - 358
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

References

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