Death rate is per 1,000 of population. The Associated Press checks out some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. “In the areas where people properly wear a proper mask, we will see very low rates of COVID-19 and influenza,” said Dr. Gregory Poland, infectious diseases expert and head of vaccine research at the Mayo Clinic. New Zealand Coronavirus update with statistics and graphs: total and new cases, deaths per day, mortality and recovery rates, current active cases, recoveries, trends and timeline. While general health affects the severity of an infection, the influenza virus is contagious and anyone can become infected. The flu is killing about 500 New Zealanders each year - and men, Maori, Pacific Islanders and those living in poverty are at greatest risk of premature death from it. In its latest influenza update based on flu cases reported from Sept. 29 to Oct. 11, WHO found that global influenza numbers are lower than expected for this time of year. New Zealand. From October 2018 to May 2019 the FluSurv-NET data accounted for about 7,000 influenza-associated deaths, which CDC ultimately used to estimate 34,200 total deaths for the 2018-2019 flu … Flu a major killer Research by the University of Otago, Wellington, has found that influenza kills about 500 New Zealanders each year, making it probably New Zealand’s biggest single infectious disease killer. While some posts online did not cite evidence for the figures, others pointed to newly released data from the World Health Organization to suggest that flu cases are down by 98% around the world. For the 2017-2018 season, 185 pediatric flu deaths were reported. Influenza C infections generally cause a mild respiratory illness and are not thought to cause epidemics. © 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. The crude influenza mortality rate found in the study was 13.5 per 100,000 for all causes. Preparation. ", These results show that it is important to target flu vaccination and other interventions to the most vulnerable groups, in particular Maori and Pacific people and men aged 65-79 years and those living in the most deprived areas.". One is the 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System and the other is mortality data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. While influenza vaccination does not prevent COVID-19, influenza is a serious illness that causes hundreds of deaths each winter in New Zealand, and thousands … (Learn more about MMWR weeks). Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the world’s greatest flu mortality risk, followed closely by the Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia. Plague made its first and only New Zealand appearance in 1900, but it caused only a handful of deaths and disappeared after 1911. There are four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C, and D. Human influenza A and B viruses cause seasonal epidemics almost every winter in the United States. Two Aucklanders have died from influenza a month into flu season. In New Zealand, specimens are tested at the New Zealand's National Influenza Centre (NIC). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. That's according to new research from Otago University scientists who say the flu is likely New Zealand's single biggest infectious disease killer, accounting for about 1.8 per cent of deaths in the country. Medical professionals in the U.S. have been warning of a “twindemic,” an overlap of influenza and COVID-19, which have similar symptoms. New Flu Deaths (1/3/2021-1/9/2021) 0. Wellington's Karori Cemetery, where many who died from the 1918 flu are buried. The country took early action against the virus and has worked to almost eliminate community transmission. "This research illustrates how the borderline between infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, is not particularly firm," said study co-author Professor Michael Baker, also of Otago University. "Future work will update these estimates for the post-pandemic period, but we would expect the findings to be broadly similar," said study author Dr Trang Khieu, who carried out the work as part of her PhD. This rate was similar to those estimated for other high income countries, though none have reported the distribution of influenza mortality risk by ethnicity and socioeconomic position. In four months, it is estimated that over 8600 New Zealanders died of the disease and between one third and one half of the population were infected. August 21, 2020 – CDC today reported one new seasonal flu-related death in a child that occurred during the 2019-2020 season, bringing the total number of flu deaths in children reported to CDC for last season to 188. No other event has killed so many New Zealanders in such a short time as the 1918 influenza pandemic. It used modelling to estimate influenza deaths in each population group - an approach that was necessary because only about one in 23 New Zealand influenza deaths were recognised, confirmed and recorded on death certificates. In most instances, flu would not even be suspected as the cause, particularly in cases of sudden death. Seasonal flu. The outbreak 100 years ago remains New Zealand's worst natural disaster, and events from September 30 will include a memorial service at Waikumete Cemetery in Auckland where more than 1100 victims are buried - 400 of whom had only one headstone. It found that, in the key 65-79 year age group, Maori were 3.6 times more likely to die of influenza than those of European or other ethnicity, while Pacific people were 2.4 times more likely to die during a typical flu season. Men were also more vulnerable, with males aged 65-79 years almost two times more likely to die of influenza than females. The flu is killing about 500 New Zealanders each year - and men, Maori, Pacific Islanders and those living in poverty are at greatest risk of premature death from it. Public Health tracks flu and RSV cases by MMWR weeks, which is a standard way across the United States of numbering weeks in a year to track disease. These tables contain provisional information on the underlying causes of all deaths registered in New Zealand in 2017. The jubilation over the end of World War I was overshadowed by the Spanish flu pandemic reaching New Zealand. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Cars queue for a Covid-19 test in Auckland, New Zealand, on 14 September. All rights reserved (About Us). Half as many New Zealanders lost their lives in little more than two months than during the entire First World War, and worldwide the … The WHO has not said that. Please support high-quality local journalism. “They are both respiratory viruses that spread in similar ways.”. Unlike flu deaths in children, flu deaths in adults are not nationally reportable. The 2020-2021 Flu/RSV season began on September 27, 2020 and will end on September 25, 2021. The 1918 influenza pandemic was quite virulent with estimates of over 100 million deaths worldwide. The second and more deadly wave of a new strain of influenza arrived in New Zealand in October 1918. Subscribe to OregonLive. Crime Politics Health ... By comparison, an estimated 35 million Americans caught the flu last year, with 34,000 deaths: less than 0.1%. Find statistics about the number of births and deaths registered in New Zealand each year. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). The total number of swine flu cases in New Zealand has jumped more than 50 overnight to 507, the Ministry of Health says. Those living in the most deprived 20 per cent of neighbourhoods were almost twice as likely to die of influenza compared with those living in the least deprived areas. A new study showing 500 Kiwis are killed by flu each year further demonstrates the importance of vaccination, an Otago University scientist says. Medical experts like Belongia warn that the U.S. has not initiated steps like mask wearing and lockdowns on the same level as Australia and New Zealand to control the pandemic so the flu remains a large concern. See the WHO list of Countries with PCR capacity in place to diagnose influenza A(H1N1) virus infection in humans. The New Zealand mortality topped 8500 people, with a national mortality rate of 7.7 per 1000 people. BECA NZ Heritage Week - UC Connect: Black Flu: Why should we remember the 1918 influenza pandemic in New Zealand? The study has been published in the Journal of Infection. The Maori population were more severely affected with a mortality rate of 42.3 per 1000 people. This modelling showed that the largest numbers of flu deaths (37 per cent) were circulatory conditions such as heart attacks and strokes. Māori populations for counties are inclusive of interior boroughs. In New Zealand, where there was a strict approach to the pandemic, officials reported 25 coronavirus deaths in a country with a population of about five million. THE FACTS: Social media posts making this claim are providing incomplete information, relying solely on data from countries in the Southern Hemisphere like New Zealand and Australia. TNS. “The efforts that were undertaken to reduce the spread of SARS-COV2 were also effective at reducing the flu,” said Dr. Edward Belongia, director for the Center for Clinical Epidemiology & Population Health at the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, in Wisconsin. They replace the After your flu immunisation leaflet and Avoid flu during pregnancy brochure used prior to 2019. Her study was based on a 15-year period, from 1994 to 2008, before the last influenza pandemic, which took place over 2009 and 2010. According to US-CDC, most deaths occur among people aged over 75 years, and in the world’s poorest regions. The Northern Hemisphere has yet to experience its full flu season. By two influenza pandemics ( 1890–94 and 1918 ), with annual epidemics in between mortality topped 8500 people with... Relative levels of flu-associated deaths mortality Reporting System and the other is mortality data collected by the end world... 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