If it feels like almost everyone you know has been knocked down by the flu this year, you may be on to something.
2024 has seen the highest number of influenza cases on record in Australia, the latest data from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System has confirmed.
There have been 352,532 laboratory-confirmed cases already this year, eclipsing the previous high of 313,615 cases in 2019.
An unusual cluster of flu in summer saw the virus spread early this year, ahead of a sharp rise during the winter months, peaking with over 107,000 cases in July alone.
The virus’ peak came at the same time as multiple other serious respiratory illnesses – COVID-19, RSV, whooping cough and mycoplasma pneumoniae – were all circulating at elevated levels.
While flu numbers have now fallen back to relatively low levels – there were just over 7000 cases recorded in October – the figures have health experts sounding the alarm.
A sharp decline in flu vaccination rates Australia-wide due to post-pandemic vaccine fatigue is being blamed for three back-to-back severe flu seasons since 2022.
Very young children are among the most at-risk of developing serious complications and under fives are eligible for a free jab, yet only one in four got their flu shot this year – down from 46 per cent in 2020.
The highest rates of flu are consistently seen in school-age children, yet the number getting vaccinated is almost half what is was four years ago, at just 14 per cent.
Even among those most vulnerable to life-threatening complications – those aged over 65 – only 60 per cent were vaccinated, down from 70 per cent in 2020.
A recent survey of 25,000 Australians by the Immunisation Coalition found that only 54 per cent of Australians considered influenza a serious disease, and only 45 per cent of parents of young children were aware that vaccination was recommended and free for under fives.
That’s despite more than 400 Australians dying after contracting influenza this year and over 3700 others becoming severely ill and being admitted to hospital.
According to the Australian Medical Association, at least half the population needs to get the influenza shot to provide a level of herd immunity and stem the severity of a flu season.
The Immunisation Coalition’s Chairman Dr Rodney Pearce said the record number of cases should act as “a wake-up call”.
”Influenza is not just a bad cold – it can have severe consequences, particularly for vulnerable populations,” he said.
“Yet, our surveys indicate that many Australians are disengaged and feel vaccination is unnecessary. This puts the whole community at risk.”
Influenza has seen a huge rebound since becoming almost non-existent in 2021, thanks to COVID-induced restrictions.
While this year has been the worst, the past three years have all seen severe flu seasons since state and international borders reopened and restrictions eased.
The Immunisation Coalition is urging state and federal governments to act to address declining vaccination rates before they fall further in subsequent years.
