Flu season: reasons why three young people have died of influenza in recent months 

Australia’s complacency over flu has led to a huge number of cases of the disease and an increase in deaths, experts warn.

There have been 116,473 flu reports reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System between January 1 and June 25 of this year, as well as 107 flu-related deaths and 1,236 hospitalizations.

Despite many people associating flu deaths with the elderly, three young Australians have died from the disease in recent months, shocking the nation.

This week alone, an 11-year-old girl from Queensland and a teenager from the NSW Central Coast both died of flu, sparking fears of the flu’s fallout.

These statistics are not surprising to health experts, as vaccination rates have lagged behind previous years.

The complacency stems from a misunderstanding of how serious the disease is, said Paul Griffin, director of infectious diseases at Mater Health.

“We had an unprecedented low number of flu cases during Covid, I think we had less than 1,000 in a year, which is unheard of and means we’ve had fewer people with recent exposure,” he said.

‘But the main driver is that people have lost sight of the importance of the flu, which leads to low vaccination rates.’

Australians aged 5 to 15 are the least likely to be vaccinated at 13.7 per cent, followed by those aged 15 to 50 at 20.5 per cent.

Australia’s complacency over flu has led to huge number of cases of the disease and an increase in deaths, experts warn

Professor Robert Booy said low vaccination rates among young people are a major contributor to the problem

According to pediatrician and infectious disease expert Professor Robert Booy, only 23.6 percent of children under the age of five are vaccinated against the flu, a worrying statistic caused by complacency and people being ‘a little over’.

‘[The vaccine uptake] is incredibly inadequate to provide protection and we really should have done better now given that we have had free flu vaccination for children under five for several years now,” he said.

As a result, young people are much more likely to contract the flu, with 57 per cent of those who have contracted the illness in NSW being under the age of 20 and 36 per cent under the age of 10.

Children under the age of five are at particular risk of serious illness and the effects of the disease can be deadly, with a previously healthy three-year-old boy from Perth suddenly dying from the flu in June.

Muhammed Saadiq Segaff contracted flu A before rapidly deteriorating and going into cardiac arrest. Doctors fought to save him through open-heart surgery, but he could not be revived.

Three-year-old Muhammed Saadiq Segaff contracted flu A, then rapidly deteriorated and went into cardiac arrest in May

Preventive measures are always helpful to avoid the flu, and Professor Booy says it’s not too late to get vaccinated, even if you’ve already caught it this year

Professor Griffin argued that attitudes towards children and Covid-19 are behind the rise in flu cases among young people.

“We’ve reassured people that kids are at lower risk with Covid, but it’s very different with the flu and I think a lot of people have lost sight of that, that kids get the flu, they spread the flu and they can get sick from it ‘, he said.

“Traditionally, and as we’re seeing right now, our highest number of reports and hospitalizations actually occur in children.”

While flu A was in charge at the start of the flu season, flu B is now taking over as the dominant strain.

Despite the A strain being considered more serious, both can be ‘annoying’ and cause serious illness.

Associate Professor Paul Griffin has urged all Australians, including those who have already contracted the disease, to get the flu shot

The recent increase in severe cases is not surprising to health experts, as vaccination rates have lagged behind previous years

“Influenza B is typically considered the less severe version, it doesn’t cause pandemics and it doesn’t change that much, but what we’re seeing now is that it tends to cause more serious illness in children,” Professor Griffin said.

“That’s why our vaccine actually contains two flu A strains and two flu B strains, so we protect people against both.”

Professor Booy says it’s not too late to get vaccinated and protect yourself and your children from the disease, even if you caught it this year.

According to Professor Griffin, only 5-10 percent of children who get the flu need to be taken to hospital, but he had some tips for parents concerned about their sick children.

“If you’re wondering whether you should have your child assessed, it’s probably best to err on the side of caution,” he said.

‘The main thing we’re concerned about is a respiratory infection, so if kids are having trouble breathing or wheezing in a significant way, it’s a good indication to get checked.

“A serious infection can cause central nervous system problems and make children irritable or drowsy… there may be skin changes, if the skin appears mottled or pale, definitely get them evaluated.”