People dying yet flu season worst yet to arrive

AUSTRALIANS are dying from flu every week with the peak of this year’s epidemic still to come, experts warn.

Virologist Bill Rawlinson yesterday predicted Australia could see “a couple of million” cases of flu this year, about 8 per cent of the population, urging people to get vaccinated.

There have already been up to 40,000 influenza notifications in Australia for 2019, which experts say is about three times the numbers at the same time last year.

Federal health figures show more than 9800 Queenslanders have tested positive to the flu so far this year compared with 15,692 for the whole of 2018.

But the actual number of cases in the Sunshine State will be much higher, as not all will undergo testing.

Queensland Health data shows 775 people have been admitted to the state’s public hospitals with flu this year, including 68 in intensive care.

In a national hook-up of experts yesterday, Professor Rawlinson said he was worried this year may turn out to be worse than 2017 for the flu in Australia, with laboratory proven cases running at about three times the five-year average.

He could not provide data on numbers of flu-related deaths so far this year but said: “Certainly, we’re seeing them on a weekly basis”.

One of the major influenza vaccine suppliers, Seqirus, has increased doses manufactured by more than 300 per cent compared to the 2017 season.

With the prospect of a horror flu season ahead, University of Queensland virologist Kirsty Short flagged concerns that high rates of obesity and diabetes would fuel increasing numbers of severe flu cases.