Antivirals must join the fight against the horror flu season

The flu jab won’t work for those who already have symptoms but there is still something simple you can do to reduce the severity, experts say.

For the first time in years infectious disease experts say antivirals need to be a critical part of the fight against the horror flu season.

“Many Queenslanders already have the flu so the vaccination is not going to work, it’s too late,” infectious disease expert Professor Robert Booy, from the Immunisation Coalition, told The Courier-Mail.

“This is where antivirals comes into play - if they are taken within 48 hours of symptoms they can help suppress the virus,”

As the Queensland government offers free flu jabs for all ages from Saturday, Professor Booy said that the flu vaccination needs to be rolled out early every year, in April or May, and governments need to be proactive rather than reactive to rising cases.

“And people also need to remember it can take two weeks for the flu vaccination to work,” he said.

Professor Robert Booy. Picture: Supplied

Influenza B is causing severe illness and hospitalisation in younger people around the country, and overwhelming the healthcare system.

But the professor said that while people should ask their doctor for antivirals in the first couple of days of being sick, flu vaccinations are the first line of defence against the flu.

“We haven’t recommended antivirals for a few years due to Covid and the low number of flu cases but they have been around for 10 years and are not extra expensive like the Covid antivirals,” he said.

Chief executive of the Immunisation Coalition Kim Sampson said that it is essential to stop influenza circulating in the community.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard has warned that this year’s outbreak in Queensland is in “uncharted territory”.

“Low vaccination rates mean we must adopt our second line of defence — antiviral medications”, Ms Sampson said.

Typically, influenza A strain is the most common strain that circulates, however it is influenza B that appears to be causing severe illness and hospitalisation in younger people. In Queensland half of those in hospital this year are aged under 20.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced influenza vaccinations will be free for all ages starting from Saturday until the end of August.

Originally published as Antivirals must join the fight against the horror flu season