UTRECHT, Netherlands, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A European surveillance group said this week seasonal flu has arrived, as evidenced by 2,000 new cases of the disease across the continent.
In mid-December, 350 cases were reported in Europe, but by mid-January increased activity was reported in Greece, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Spain and Switzerland.
Professor Koos van der Velden of the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, said the new activity had been accompanied by increases in laboratory-confirmed influenza cases as well.
Van der Velden, chairman of the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme which monitors influenza in Europe, said the flu season this year has begun about two weeks earlier that in the 2005-2006 season.
Unlike last year when influenza B was the dominant virus in Europe, this year's cases to date have primarily been of the H3 strain of the more virulent influenza A virus. Studies have shown that there is significantly higher mortality associated with the influenza A H3 virus, compared to the influenza B virus.
"Speed is the key to all influenza management", says Professor van der Velden, "Acting swiftly is crucial, both for health authorities and the general public. Flu is fast, so to beat it, we need to be very quick, too."
