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Doctors fear people will die as NSW faces its worst flu season on record and electricity prices soar

NSW’s cold snap could turn deadly. Doctors fear people will die as the state faces its worst flu season on record and soaring electricity prices leave many unable to afford to turn on heating.

NSW is in the grip of a perfect winter storm.

Doctors fear people will die as the state faces its worst flu season on record and soaring electricity prices leave many unable to afford to turn on heating.

The chance of death is 50 per cent higher when temperatures fall to 8C, health experts warn, but Australian houses are “glorified tents” with little cold protection.

Christiane Issa-Webb, 64, can't afford to heat her home. Picture: Richard Dobson
Christiane Issa-Webb, 64, can't afford to heat her home. Picture: Richard Dobson

The warning comes as charities report an influx of families and elderly people rugging up in jumpers and blankets to save on soaring heating costs.

New figures reveal there have been a whopping 6548 cases of influenza in NSW this year, the worst half-yearly figure on record. Western Sydney has been hit hardest, with almost twice the cases of other parts of the state, followed by northern Sydney, the North Coast and the Central Coast.

At the same time electricity prices are skyrocketing, as retailers announce hikes up to 20 per cent.

Central Coast has 8.08 cases of influenza per 100,000 people.
Central Coast has 8.08 cases of influenza per 100,000 people.

Ausgrid figures show people in poorer areas tend to use less electricity than their wealthy cousins.

Households in Ku-ring-gai, where the average weekly income is $2500, use 23.3kWh per day, while ­Auburn households use an average of just 12.4kWh.

Public health expert Adrian Barnett said NSW homes aren’t built to keep residents safe from the cold.  “When it gets to 8C the risk of death is 50 per cent ­higher in Sydney,” he said.

“Houses in Australia are just like glorified tents they keep us dry but don’t protect us from the temperature nearly enough.”

NSW's top 10 influenza hot spots

Western Sydney
20.52 cases (per 100,000 population)
Northern Sydney
14.75
Northern NSW
13.7
Sydney
12.98
Nepean Blue Mountains
9.36
Central Coast
8.11
South-Eastern Sydney
8.08
South-Western Sydney
5.05
Hunter New England
4.41
Murrumbidgee
3.3

Australasian College for Emergency Medicine spokesman Gordian Fulde warned: “When the weather gets cold people die.”

Salvation Army community project leader Nathan Moulds said he regularly met elderly people and families too scared about bills to turn on their heating.

“Some will go to bed early ... in other cases there are people who have to go without food or even medication to pay their bills,” he said.

Christiane Issa-Webb, 64, was left living below the poverty line when she ­divorced three years ago. Despite struggling with illness, she said she often couldn’t afford to turn on the heater.

“I put on my warm socks, rug myself up in blankets and watch TV in the dark,” she said. “Last year I got a terrible flu ... I was having trouble breathing ... but it’s too expensive.”

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/doctors-fear-people-will-die-as-nsw-faces-its-worst-flu-season-on-record-and-electricity-prices-soar/news-story/1aa4b41b0dc5e3cbe6d77188954547f4