Australians have been warned the coming flu season could be the worst on record after the US and UK were hit with soaring influenza cases.
There have been 46,325 confirmed flu cases in Australia so far this year up to March 31, the highest number ever recorded during the first quarter.
‘Australians need to be ready for the potential of a big flu season here,’ Peter Guthrey, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s senior pharmacist, said.
‘Influenza can spread around the world rapidly through international travel.
‘Lots of people in the US and UK have been sick with flu and this has continued late into their flu season.’
The World Health Organisation reported in February that flu cases remained high in the Northern Hemisphere.
Multiple UK hospitals had declared critical incidents due to high cases and several schools across the US closed during the winter.
So far in Australia, more than a quarter of the cases (18,100) have occurred in New South Wales, according to the Immunisation Coalition.
Australia has recorded its highest number ever recorded of flu cases in the first quarter of 2025
There have been 46,325 confirmed flu cases in Australia so far this year up to March 31, the highest number ever recorded during the first quarter
The number is almost double the cases recorded in Queensland (9,872) and Victoria (9,737).
Western Australia has registered 4,173 cases, while laboratories have found 2,488 in South Australia, 813 in Northern Territory, 577 in ACT and 565 in Tasmania.
Many of those with the flu do not get tested which means, along with delays in reporting, the number of cases may be under-represented.
Seasonal flu is a common and highly contagious respiratory infection usually caused by influenza A or B viruses, but there are multiple subtypes and strains.
The virus is different to Covid-19.
Influenza can generally cause mild to severe illness with most people recovering in a few days, but some are at greater risk of becoming severely unwell.
Mater Hospital Brisbane’s director of infectious diseases Professor Paul Griffin warned that low uptake of vaccinations would put vulnerable groups at risk.
‘Every year, we see people, particularly young people and pregnant women, who end up in hospital when they could have been protected with a simple vaccination,’ he told The Courier Mail.
Australia-wide low uptake of vaccinations could be a significant threat to vulnerable groups
‘The flu season hasn’t officially started, but we are already seeing high levels of flu in the community.
‘Many people wrongly assume the flu only affects older adults, like Covid-19, but this isn’t the case.
‘Flu is a serious illness, but the vaccines are safe and effective.’
Nearly half (46 per cent) of Australians do not believe influenza is a serious illness or do not believe in vaccination benefits against influenza, according to a 2024 survey by the Immunisation Coalition.
It also revealed that many Australians (73 per cent) believe misinformation is impacting vaccination rates, and that this misinformation is coming mainly from social media.
In 2024, Australia recorded over 365,000 reported influenza cases and over 4,200 people were admitted to hospital, making it Australia’s biggest flu season since 2019.
Between January and August 2024, there were 810 deaths related to flu, compared to 416 flu-related deaths in the same period the previous year.
