Australia - Flu cases reach all-time high

[Commonground]

October 21, 2025

As vaccination rates fall, 411,000 flu cases have been recorded in 2025, far surpassing the previous annual record of 365,000.
In October alone, almost 18,000 flu cases have been recorded nationwide

Amid a record-breaking flu season, the RACGP is demanding government action to bolster falling vaccination rates.
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More than 37% of this year’s cases have been in New South Wales and 23% in Victoria, while more than one quarter of cases were in children aged nine and below.

At the same time as flu cases surge, just 26% of children aged six months to five years have been vaccinated in 2025, the lowest rate since 2021.

...continued. https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/cli...-all-time-high

[Commonground]

Northern Territory doctors call for needle-free vaccines as flu outbreak takes 14 lives

A deadly flu outbreak has taken 14 lives in the Northern Territory and now doctors are pleading for an urgent new vaccination method.
October 29, 2025

A major flu outbreak has taken the lives of 14 people in the Northern Territory as doctors plea for needle-free vaccines to roll back the danger.

The outbreak, which escalated in July this year, has resulted in 4195 cases of the deadly disease this year.

In 2024, there was 3299 cases and in 2022, there were 2776 cases.

But RACGP Northern Territory chair Sam Heard warns that case numbers are “no doubt far higher”.

“We have record flu numbers and declining vaccination rates,” he said this month.

“This year, in the NT, we’ve already had 4000 lab-confirmed influenza cases compared to 3299 cases in all of last year.

“The true number of flu cases Territory-wide is no doubt far higher.”

Fourteen deaths are now linked to the outbreak.

“Influenza cases have been reported across all regions of the Northern Territory, with notifications gradually decreasing since August following a peak in mid-July,” an NT Health spokesman said.

continued: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/he...7a5efbee961a83

[Commonground]

Vaccine warning issued to travelling West Aussies amid late-season influenza A surge
10 November 2025

An unusual late-season surge in a severe strain of influenza which mostly impacts the elderly is behind an increase in flu cases across WA in the past two weeks.

The local spike in the A H3N2 subtype of influenza A comes amid warnings that mutations of the virus overseas are behind an early, and potentially “brutal”, flu season in the northern hemisphere.

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After reaching a peak of 1704 weekly cases on September 7, influenza notifications have been trending downwards in recent weeks.
But WA Health data shows cases rose to 661 in the week to November 2 as a new trend emerged.

Of the two sub-types of influenza A which co-circulate globally each year; known as A H3N2 and A H1N1, the latter has been responsible for the vast majority of cases in WA this year.

But the proportion of A H3 cases has increased from just four cases or 2 per cent of PathWest detections in mid July to 43 cases or 70 per cent of detections as of November 2.
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“Every year we have these two competing types of influenza A, and usually we see the same virus throughout the season,” she said.

“This is a slightly different trend, we don’t know if it will have an impact on the WA population but plenty of people head over to the northern hemisphere for the winter season so we are continually encouraging people travelling to think about getting the flu vaccine.”
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WA Health said influenza levels remained “well above typical levels for this time of the year, largely driven by a late-season increase in the A/H3 strain”.

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“The increase in influenza A H3 is most likely due to natural evolution of the virus, allowing it to escape the population’s immunity,” she said.

continued: https://thewest.com.au/news/health/v...rge-c-20570410