Flurona to strike kids

HEALTH authorities have urged parents to book young children in for flu shots as Australia braces for a triple surge of influenza, Covid and the common cold.

NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant warned residents that infection rates among children were piling up as influenza and Covid team up to create a dual infection dubbed “flurona”.

Dr Chant said parents should be aware that the flu was a “serious illness” for children under five and in some instances can lead to death. So far this year, eight children have been rushed to hospital in the state with influenza-like symptoms. This compared to an average of no admissions in the age group during the same months from 2017 to 2019.