Aussies ‘bedridden for weeks’ as flu season ramps up

Doctors around Australia are sounding the alarm as common winter viruses like influenza appear to be growing more potent, leaving some people bedridden for weeks.

Doctors around Australia are sounding the alarm as common winter viruses like influenza appear to be growing more potent, leaving some people bedridden for weeks.

This winter has seen a surge in cases of whooping cough, the flu, and gastro causing “unprecedented” pressure on hospitals.

Influenza infections have already risen by 27 per cent compared to the first six months of 2023, with over 170,000 cases reported.

Twenty-nine per cent of cases are in children under nine years old.

Vaccine fatigue, along with scepticism about jabs following Covid-19, is believed to have contributed to lower flu shot uptake this year. But general practitioners are still urging people to get vaccinated, especially since some strains of the virus this winter appear particularly strong.

Michael Clements, the Royal College of General Practitioners rural chair, said that the actual number of affected individuals is likely much higher as many do not get tested.

Influenza infections this year have already risen by 27 per cent compared to the first six months of 2023, with over 170,000 cases reported.

One flu victim shared her ordeal on social media, describing how a case of the flu last month left her bedridden for two weeks and developed into pneumonia.

“Guys, you do not want influenza A,” young mother Steph Pase said.

“I’ve never been sicker in my life, and I’ve had Covid. I’m someone who can get sick as a dog and refuse to stay in bed. I need to get up, but this thing has just kicked me on my a**.”

Ms Pase mentioned that she had briefly recovered, but the flu returned with a vengeance.

“It’s no joke, it’s 20 times worse than Covid,” she said.

“If you think you’ve got it, go to the doctor. My doctor told me to come in as my heart rate had been high for three days. He sent me to hospital, and I was in emergency for a few hours. They gave me a drip of antibiotics and fluids plus two lots of antibiotics to take home.”

Spokesman for the National Asthma Council Australia Dr Joel Ten said that some flu strains this year have been particularly intense.

“I’ve seen a number of patients who have reported that they’ve had quite severe symptoms, but it does depend from person to person,” the Melbourne-based GP told Yahoo News.

General practitioners are still urging people to get vaccinated, especially since some strains of the virus this winter appear particularly strong.

In Sydney, Natalie Hunt reported being bedridden for three weeks with a respiratory virus despite resting and eating healthily.

“This is the longest and nastiest illness I’ve had since I was a kid … green chesty mucus, cough, fatigue, swollen glands, lower back pain and blocked ears. When I had Covid, I had acute symptoms, but it only lasted a few days. With this, I feel like I’m going to recover but just wake up the same.”

Victoria’s health department has warned that influenza vaccine coverage remains “low” in all age groups, including children, despite a sixfold increase in emergency department presentations due to the flu from April to June.

NSW Health also flagged the potential increase of whooping cough cases, with presentations of pertussis increasing since 2023 and “expected to continue to increase”.

One flu victim, Steph Pase, shared her ordeal on social media, saying she was ‘bedridden’.

“Unseasonably” high levels of ER presentations of pneumonia have also been reported in children and young adults, particularly kids aged five to 16 years of age.

“Within the emergency departments, most pneumonia presentations are classified as unspecified pneumonia, that is, a specific cause of the pneumonia has not yet been identified,” the report said.

“This information may become available later in the admission or following discharge from hospital.”

NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park reminded residents that vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and the community from infection.

“I am asking everyone to go and book themselves in for a vaccination,” he said.

“If you visit health.nsw.gov.au you’ll find a very visible link to book a vaccination.

“If you’ve got cold or flu symptoms, do the right thing, stay at home.

“If you do need to leave the home, wear a mask, it’s as simple as that.”