Experts warn of a bumper flu season that could come early

Millions of Aussies could be hit in a bumper flu season that could start in summer as the nation focuses on Covid, experts have warned.

Millions of Australians could be hit hard in a bumper flu season that could hit in the summer as the nation continues to focus heavily on preventing Covid-19 hospitalisations, experts have warned.

While there has been a major push right across the nation to get Covid-19 jabs in arms, only one third of the population have rolled up their sleeves for their seasonal influenza shot.

Herd immunity is also at a low level due to the virus not widely circulating during the pandemic, with health experts suggesting a surge of cases could hit by January as the nation opens up to the rest of the world.

Immunisation expert Professor Robert Booy said pandemic protocols and the closing of borders had minimised the spread of the flu — but that everything could soon change.

“Even responsible people have been so caught up in Covid that they have not bothered to get their vaccine this year,” he told theCourier Mail.

He said some GP and pharmacies are hesitant to order vaccines in bulk numbers after some recorded wastage of up to 50 per cent in recent months.

There are fears of a bad flu season hitting in the coming months. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

The rate of influenza jabs has dropped from 18 million doses in 2020 to just 8.8 million jabs in 2021 to November 1.

Last year there were just over 6000 flu cases nationally — a historically low figure — while in 2019, there were about 310,000 cases.

Nigel McMillan, an expert in infectious diseases and immunology at Griffith University, said flu usually peaks around June or July but that the opening of international borders will see the “winter viruses coming down here”.

He told 4BC it was particularly important for certain groups to get vaccinated against the flu, the elderly and those with comorbidities.

“We had a very early season in 2019 where it started peaking in March, when it really started to take off. If it was to happen that way again, you’d be looking to get your flu jabs in January or February but typically March or April.”

He said that one benefit of the Covid-19 pandemic could be that people continue to wash their hands and sanitise.

“It will be interesting to see how the flu season goes in the Northern Hemisphere, they are going to be getting it kicked off pretty soon,” he said. “That will give us a clue as to what might be coming our way and what vaccine coverage we might need to have.”

Originally published as Experts warn of a bumper flu season that could come early