November 5th 2024.
It seems as though everyone you know has been hit with the flu this year. And you might not be wrong. The latest data from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System confirms that 2024 has had the highest number of influenza cases ever recorded in Australia. Can you believe it?
So far, there have been over 352,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu this year, surpassing the previous record of 313,000 cases in 2019. And it's not even the end of the year yet! This is a significant increase from the past few years and experts are raising concerns about the severity of this flu season.
One of the reasons for the spike in cases is an unusual cluster of flu during the summer months. This led to the virus spreading earlier in the year, followed by a sharp rise during the winter months. In fact, July alone had over 107,000 flu cases! And to make matters worse, this peak in flu cases coincided with other serious respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19, RSV, whooping cough, and mycoplasma pneumoniae, all circulating at elevated levels.
Although the number of flu cases has now dropped to relatively low levels, health experts are still sounding the alarm. They believe that the decline in flu vaccination rates across Australia is to blame for three consecutive severe flu seasons since 2022. It's called post-pandemic vaccine fatigue, where people are hesitant to get vaccinated after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The most vulnerable population to serious flu complications is young children, which is why they are eligible for a free flu shot. However, only one in four children under five received their flu shot this year, compared to 46% in 2020. This is concerning, especially since the highest rates of flu are seen in school-age children. And the number of children getting vaccinated has decreased by almost half in the last four years, with only 14% receiving the flu shot this year.
Even among the older population, who are also at high risk for serious complications, there has been a decline in flu vaccination rates. Only 60% of people over 65 received the flu shot this year, compared to 70% in 2020. It's clear that something needs to be done to address this issue.
A recent survey by the Immunisation Coalition found that only 54% of Australians consider the flu a serious disease. And even fewer, 45% of parents of young children, were aware that the flu vaccine is recommended and free for children under five. This lack of awareness and engagement puts the whole community at risk, especially since over 400 Australians have died from the flu this year and over 3700 have been severely ill and hospitalized.
The Australian Medical Association believes that at least half of the population needs to be vaccinated in order to provide herd immunity and reduce the severity of a flu season. Yet, many Australians seem to be disengaged and view vaccination as unnecessary. This is a dangerous mindset that needs to be addressed.
The Chairman of the Immunisation Coalition, Dr. Rodney Pearce, has called the record number of flu cases a "wake-up call". He reminds us that the flu is not just a bad cold, it can have severe consequences, especially for vulnerable populations. It's time to take the flu seriously and do our part to protect ourselves and those around us.
It's worth noting that the flu has made a huge comeback since it almost disappeared in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. And unfortunately, this year has been the worst so far. The past three years have all seen severe flu seasons since the reopening of state and international borders and the easing of restrictions. The Immunisation Coalition is urging state and federal governments to take action to address the declining flu vaccination rates before they continue to decline in the coming years. Let's not wait for another wake-up call.
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