Mackay region hit with Covid, influenza outbreak as cases double

As a Covid outbreak shuts down two Mackay Base Hospital wards to visitors, health workers are preparing to be hit on another front with influenza rapidly spreading through the region.

Influenza is rapidly spreading throughout the Mackay district with half of the confirmed cases this year recorded just in the past week.

Three patients presented to Mackay Base Hospital on May 19 alone.

The Mackay Hospital and Health Service has recorded 130 laboratory confirmed cases since January 1, with 76 of those in the past week.

It is a spread impacting all of Queensland over the past three weeks, with the total case number swelling to 4282 statewide for 2022.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the worst flu season in a decade was “coming at us quickly”.

Mackay Base Hospital infectious diseases physician Dr Janath De Silva said a bad influenza season was to be expected.

“Natural immunity has decreased because of the measures introduced to reduce the impact of Covid-19, including social distancing and good hand hygiene, leading to significant reduction of Influenza cases over the past two years,” Dr De Silva said.

Dr De Silva stressed the “highly contagious disease” could become a serious illness.

“It is usually spread through infected people coughing and sneezing, which temporarily contaminates the surrounding air and surfaces with infected droplets,” Dr De Silva said.

“For some people, such as young children, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions, influenza can cause serious complications requiring hospitalisation and can sometimes lead to death.

“Women who acquire influenza during pregnancy can have an increased risk of severe illness.”

Mackay Base Hospital infectious diseases physician Dr Janath De Silva. Photo: Max Fleet/NewsMail

Influenza A is the dominant strain at the moment, with Queenslanders aged 10 to 39 holding the highest rate of infection.

Vaccinations for the disease can be obtained through doctors, immunisation providers and some community pharmacies.

Dr De Silva pleaded with the community to get vaccinated to prevent cases rising further heading into the winter months.

“Vaccination is the single best protection against influenza, by building immunity to the virus and helping to prevent transmission of the virus to other people who are at risk of serious complications,” he said.

“Influenza is in our doorstep so it’s important to get vaccinated and the time for the vaccine is now as it takes approximately two weeks for the it to be effective.”

Two Mackay Base Hospital wards have seen an outbreak of Covid-19.

The spread of influenza comes as Mackay Base Hospital was forced to implement temporary visitor restrictions for two wards after an outbreak of Covid-19.

Several patients and staff in the G2 and F2 wards have contracted the virus and movements on these wards have been limited to minimise the risk of further spread.

Dr De Silva said the hospital had already seen patients infected with both Covid-19 and influenza.

He said co-infected patients could become “extremely unwell”.

Covid vaccination numbers in Mackay have slowed down in recent times.