<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/06/rollercoaster-of-a-sickness-how-a-horror-flu-season-is-catching-australian-families-off-guard>
"Feverish and lethargic, Emily Smith’s two-year-old daughter could barely open
her eyes on the plane ride home from a family holiday in January.
In fear, she took Billie to hospital right after their plane landed in Sydney,
at the beginning of what has become a horror flu season.
“It wasn’t until we got her to the hospital and they told me it was the flu,”
Smith said. “It definitely opened my eyes to how sick it can make them.”
Since her daughter’s illness, reported influenza cases have surged among
children, particularly among those aged between five and nine, according to the
latest national surveillance data.
About 69% of people admitted to hospital with confirmed influenza since April
are children aged below 16. Yet just 22% of children aged between six months to
five years – and 13% of children aged five to 16 – are vaccinated against
influenza nationally. This compares with 61% of those aged 65 and above.
More than 137,000 infections have been recorded across the country this year,
as of 3 July, with the highest numbers being reported in New South Wales,
Queensland and Victoria.
Dr Sarah McNab, the director of general medicine at the Royal Children’s
hospital in Melbourne, said the rise was likely due to flu patterns returning
to normal after the Covid-19 pandemic and the ease with which the contagious
virus spreads in childcare centres and schools.
“We now have all of the respiratory illnesses circulating in the community
again,” she said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
