Europe flu season starts with virulent strain

By Patricia Reaney

LONDON (Reuters) - Europe's flu season began two weeks earlier this year compared to last and a more virulent strain of virus is causing most cases, health experts said on Friday.

The European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS), which collects data and monitors influenza throughout the region, received information about the first cases just before Christmas in Scotland and Northern Ireland -- earlier than normal.

Spain, Greece, Denmark and the Czech Republic have also reported an increasing number of cases.

"The dominant virus that we are seeing in the European influenza system is the A H3 virus, which we know from experience is a more virulent virus than last year's B virus," said Professor Koos van der Velden, chairman of the EISS.

"Usually people with the A virus are more infectious, sicker for a long period and complications are more likely," he added.

But Van der Velden said the differences reported this year do not increase the risk of an influenza pandemic.

Scientists fear the H5N1 bird flu virus that has killed more than 160 people since 2003 could mingle with a seasonal virus to become highly infectious in humans and capable of killing millions.

"We have no evidence that there is any mixing of seasonal virus and bird flu virus," he added.

Each year an estimated 100,000 people in Europe die from seasonal influenza. The global total, according to the World Health Organisation, can be as high as 500,000.

COUGHS AND SNEEZES

The virus is spread by coughs and sneezes from an infected person.

The normal flu season in Europe runs from December to March. It lasts between five to eight weeks in most countries.

Van der Velden said it is too early to predict how many people will be infected with seasonal flu or how many deaths it may cause. But he added that the virus circulating in Europe is well matched to the vaccine given to people to prevent infection.

"This year the match seems to be quite good," he added.

It is not known whether the unseasonably warm weather in December and January had an impact on the flu season.

EISS, which is based in Utrecht in the Netherlands and which was established in 1996, has 30 member countries. Doctors in each nation report all clinical cases of flu and send samples to EISS.

It collects the information and passes it on to the European authorities, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention in the United States (CDC).