Flu outbreak: Doctors battle worst season on record as four viruses hospitalise more than 8200

BABIES and young children are bearing the brunt of an ­unprecedented flu outbreak, as four separate strains of the virus run rampant across ­NSW.

BABIES and young children are bearing the brunt of an ­unprecedented flu outbreak as four separate strains of the virus run rampant across ­Sydney and NSW.

The worst flu season on ­record has seen more than 8200 people turn up to hospital emergency departments last week with ­respiratory ­illnesses. Of these, 2375 were either admitted to hospital, had immediately life-threatening conditions or arrived by ambulance.

The total flu death toll this year is still being collated.

Most flu seasons are sparked by a single strain of influenza, but this year the ­influenza A strains A (H3n2) and A (H1N1) and B strain variants Yamagata and Victoria are­ ­afflicting the state.

As a result, more than twice as many people in NSW have caught the flu compared to the same time last year.

The flu season began early this year, for unknown reasons, and has yet to peak.

Influenza hot spots revealed by the federal government-funded Flu Tracking scheme include Coogee, Balgowlah, Hornsby, Lane Cove and Marrickville in Sydney, as well as the Blue Mountains, Newcastle, Tamworth and Bathurst.

In the Nepean-Blue Mountains health region, hospitals are dealing with between 108 per cent and 266 per cent more flu patients than this time last year.

The latest data, released on Friday, revealed more than 12,700 serious cases statewide in July alone, taking this year’s total to 19,818.

Children younger than nine accounted for close to a quarter of all NSW sufferers last month, with newborns and toddlers the hardest hit.

Health officials have said it’s not too late to get vaccinated. Picture: iStock

Kids aged under four years are particularly susceptible to influenza A strains H1N1, also known as swine flu, and A strain H3n2.

At the other end of the spectrum 49 nursing home residents have died from the flu this season and a further 141 have been hospitalised in a serious condition.

The elderly typically have a strong defence against swine flu because their immune systems recognises a similar strain that swept through NSW in the 1950s, but they are susceptible to other strains of influenza A.

RELATED: DOCTORS FEAR PEOPLE WILL DIE AS NSW FACES WORST FLU SEASON ON RECORD AND ELECTRICITY PRICES SOARING

Compounding the problem is the presence of influenza B, which only appears every few years.

According to AMA NSW president Professor Brad Frankum, doctors are “significantly busier” than they were in 2009 when a global outbreak of swine flu killed 213 Australians.

“There’s still a month to go in winter and what’s concerning is flu season often runs into spring,” Dr Frankum said.

“Staff in emergency departments are keeping up because they have to, there’s no other option. But are they themselves at risk of becoming ill? Yes. Are we seeing a lot of sick leave? Yes.”

Dr Frankum said the flu season shows “no signs of fading away” and NSW Health authorities agree.

An expert on the spread of influenza from NSW Health’s Communicable Diseases Branch, Sean Tobin, said “we haven’t seen the peak”.

“Modelling suggests we’re probably at the peak right now but we won’t know until we see a downturn in activity,” Dr Tobin said.

“There will be flu activity for another four to six weeks — it is not too late for a (flu) vaccination.”

Adults with influenza are infectious for up to a week, starting the day before they show any symptoms.

While increased testing for influenza has likely contributed to the spike in identified cases, there’s still a large proportion of flu sufferers who don’t seek medical attention and go unreported.

Bacterial cell or virus 3D generated view from microscope. Picture: iStock image

Two weeks ago, an 18-year-old from the northern beaches was misdiagnosed with food poisoning, but when he suddenly had difficulty breathing, was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital.

The teenager was placed on assisted breathing while doctors told relatives to prepare for the worst as he could die. It was two days before it was discovered he had an ­influenza A strain.

The current batch of flu vaccine was cooked up in ­Geneva late last year and while there’s no data to suggest it’s ineffective, scientists won’t know whether the formula has worked on the rapidly changing flu virus until the World Health Organisation (WHO) analyses the data in the lead up to next year’s flu season.

Dana O’Neill is four-and-a-half months pregnant but has gone against her obstetrician’s advice to get vaccinated.

Her two-year-old son Nolan is up to date with all his jabs but Ms O’Neill, from Bondi, is ­sceptical the shot is worthwhile.

Dana O'Neill with her son, Nolan. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“There are so many strains and the flu just doesn’t seem all that effective,” she said.

Australian studies estimate flu shots are anywhere ­between 38 per cent and 86 per cent effective in adults and children older than six months.

Shutting the windows and snuggling up under the doona to escape the wintry chill outside only worsens the chances of infection, as droplets from sneezes and coughs linger longer without a breeze to flush them out.

“When it gets colder people tend to congregate together ­inside with the windows closed, so if someone comes in with the flu it spreads quickly,” the University of Sydney’s Professor Dominic Dwyer said.

The differences in symptoms of the various flu strains are almost indiscernible.