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Flu strikes hard this winter

Health experts are urging Australians to protect themselves with a flu vaccine ahead of winter.

Health experts are urging Australians to protect themselves with a flu vaccine ahead of winter. Photo: Getty

Close to double the number of Australians have been diagnosed with the flu this winter.

At this time last year, there were only 9,000 cases of influenza.

More than 14,000 have contracted the illness so far this year, official health department statistics reveal.

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Australia’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Baggoley has called on the nation to be vaccinated.

He attributed the increased cases, in part, to a mutation in the virus.

“We need higher uptake [of the vaccine] in vulnerable groups,” Professor Baggoley told the ABC.

“Immunisation is still the best form of protection.”

Influenza is highly contagious, spreading easily from person to person via infected droplets in the air and on hands.

Its symptoms include fever, sore throat and muscle aches, which can last for up to a week.

The illness can worsen into pneumonia and bronchitis, especially in the elderly, resulting in hospitalisation and even death.

Those aged over 65, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, pregnant women and anyone with a chronic health condition can receive the flu vaccine free of charge.

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