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A Canberra mother of two has died of complications from influenza in what health authorities say is "one of the worst flu seasons on record" in Australia.
Jennifer Thew, from Gungahlin in Canberra's north, died over the weekend after contracting influenza.
Acting chief health officer Dr Andrew Pengilley said to his knowledge the "fit, young" woman was the only young adult in the country who had died from influenza this year.
Ms Thew is also the only person in Canberra to have died from the flu this year.
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Dr Pengilley said ACT Health had received more than 2,000 notifications of the flu so far this year, compared to about 840 last year.
"The vast majority of those, about 70 per cent, occurred in a four-week period," he said.
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But Australian National University Professor and infectious diseases physician Peter Collignon said this year the influenza vaccine was not always effective.
"The same strains appear to be circulating here that circulated in Europe and in England last year, and for the elderly for instance, who are most at risk of influenza A and B, the vaccine didn't work at all, it had a minus efficacy," he said.
"Basically it didn't protect you at all for either the A or B strain if you are over the age of 65.
"If you are under the age of 64 you may have had a 30 or 40 per cent protection rate."
Jennifer Thew, from Gungahlin in Canberra's north, died over the weekend after contracting influenza.
Acting chief health officer Dr Andrew Pengilley said to his knowledge the "fit, young" woman was the only young adult in the country who had died from influenza this year.
Ms Thew is also the only person in Canberra to have died from the flu this year.
...
Dr Pengilley said ACT Health had received more than 2,000 notifications of the flu so far this year, compared to about 840 last year.
"The vast majority of those, about 70 per cent, occurred in a four-week period," he said.
...
But Australian National University Professor and infectious diseases physician Peter Collignon said this year the influenza vaccine was not always effective.
"The same strains appear to be circulating here that circulated in Europe and in England last year, and for the elderly for instance, who are most at risk of influenza A and B, the vaccine didn't work at all, it had a minus efficacy," he said.
"Basically it didn't protect you at all for either the A or B strain if you are over the age of 65.
"If you are under the age of 64 you may have had a 30 or 40 per cent protection rate."