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1999-2000 Flu Season Atypical

The National Flu Surveillance Network (NFSN), has characterized the
American 1999-2000 winter flu season as “one of the most unusual in
recent memory.”

According to the NFSN, an on-line disease surveillance service provided
by ZymeTx, Inc (Nasdaq: ZMTX) that pinpoints and tracks influenza
outbreaks in virtual real time, flu peaked earlier in 1999 than in the
previous year. Nationally, however, the winter season was less intense
than prior years. The continued presence of the A Sydney-type influenza
virus made this a unique season. One type/strain has never dominated
over a three-year period.

Although sporadic reports of confirmed flu cases occurred in September
at selected locations in California, Alaska and Florida, the first
consistent reports of influenza were recorded in early October 1999. The
NFSN reported on Tuesday, April 25th that flu peaked on January 3rd,
2000, when 1099 positive flu cases were reported. The NFSN received 26
317 confirmed flu reports between September 1, 1999, and March 31, 2000,
from 4000 member physicians located in 363 city and county clusters
across America. Flu cases reported to the NFSN represent a statistical
sampling of the total number of flu cases in the
United States.

“The year’s winter flu season was most intriguing,” said Dr. Robert
Hudson, NFSN Managing Director. “There was a huge number of
flu-like-illnesses last winter which overcrowded Emergency Rooms in some
parts of the country. In fact, the diagnostic test showed that most of
it was not flu. All in all, clinical observation is just not that
reliable. This past winter season demonstrated why a test is needed.”

For the first time ever this past winter, physicians could actually
administer a complete influenza disease management program. From
vaccination and patient education, to surveillance and diagnosis and,
finally, to treatment–all the elements to detect and treat flu in North
America were in place. “As a result,” Hudson said, “the overall quality
of flu care improved for everyone this past winter. Physicians ordered
almost as many diagnostic tests as they wrote therapeutic
prescriptions.”

Physicians use the 20-minute point-of-care flu diagnostic test,
ZstatFlu(TM), developed and marketed by ZymeTx, to confirm the presence
of influenza. Reports are filed with the NFSN centre in Oklahoma City,
where specialists process the data and post it on the NFSN Internet
site. This allows public health watches, alerts and warnings to be
issued when the presence of flu reaches certain levels in a community.

Increased usage of a flu diagnostic test among physicians occurred this
year. Dr. Hudson expects more physicians will use the diagnostic test
this coming winter season since doing so can substantially reduce the
chance of a misdiagnosis.

www.fluwatch.com

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