A pandemic more than half a century ago is still leaving a deadly legacy.<\/p>\n
Queensland’s former chief health officer Dr John Gerrard was a six-year-old when he lost his eldest brother Stephen during the 1968-70 Hong Kong flu pandemic.<\/p>\n
Eleven-year-old Stephen Gerrard was one of about 10,000 Australians who died of influenza during that scourge \u2014 one of five respiratory virus pandemics which hit Australia in just over a century, starting with the Spanish flu in 1918.<\/p>\n
It’s been dubbed “the forgotten pandemic” \u2014 possibly because it coincided with some of the most momentous events in world history \u2014 but Dr Gerrard argues variants of the H3N2 flu, which led to the Hong Kong flu pandemic, continue to cost lives.<\/p>\n
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Dr John Gerrard was Queensland’s CHO during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Four Corners)<\/p>\n
The infectious disease specialist, based at the Gold Coast University Hospital, said an H3N2 strain was included in this year’s flu vaccine, and the strain was still often associated with the most severe disease from influenza.<\/p>\n
“Of any of the influenzas, H3N2 is the one mostly associated with hospitalisation and death,” he said.<\/p>\n
“This year, there’s certainly been deaths in otherwise healthy young people. Every year it happens and it’s horrible.”<\/p>\n
The ‘flu furore’ and concerns over vaccine supplies<\/p>\n
In an article in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA), published today, Dr Gerrard cited similarities between the recent coronavirus pandemic and the Hong Kong flu, which spanned Vietnam War protests, New York’s Woodstock music festival, and the first manned moon landing.<\/p>\n
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The Hong Kong flu spanned world events including Vietnam War protests and the Woodstock music festival. (ABC Archives)<\/p>\n
“Retrospective assessment of excess mortality for Australia across two seasons of the Hong Kong influenza pandemic approaches that of COVID-19 from 2020-2023 (87.3 versus 91.4 per 100,000 population),” the MJA article said.<\/p>\n
“However, a smaller proportion of young people died of COVID-19 compared with Hong Kong influenza.<\/p>\n
“About 30 per cent of Hong Kong influenza deaths occurred in Australians under 65 years old, compared with about 11 per cent of COVID-19 deaths reported among Australians less than 70 years old.”<\/p>\n
Both pandemics are believed to have had their origins in mainland China, and early outbreaks in Australia during both public health emergencies occurred on cruise ships departing Sydney.<\/p>\n
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