Spike in kids going into emergency prompts urgent warning of ‘kindy flu’ as parents urged to get kids under five vaccinated
- More children reported to the emergency room
- 5,000 more flu cases reported compared to last year
- A low percentage of babies have had a flu vaccination
Flu season has started early in NSW kindergartens as hospitals report a worrying spike in children requiring urgent care.
More than 5,000 more flu cases have been reported this year compared to the same period last year during one of the worst flu seasons on record, according to data from the National Center for Immunization Research and Surveillance (NCIRS).
The ‘kindy flu’ is a new strain of influenza A that is rapidly spreading through the state’s preschool centers and kindergartens, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Flu season has started early in NSW kindergartens as hospitals report worrying spike in children needing emergency care (stock image)
Health authorities are concerned that only two percent of children between six months and five years old have received a flu vaccine this year
It’s quite concerning considering that only two percent of children between six months and five years old have received a flu vaccination this year.
While only 1.4 percent of five to 15-year-olds have received a shot.
With flu season starting earlier than expected this year, health authorities are urging parents to get their children vaccinated sooner rather than later.
In the second week of April alone, 1,200 flu cases have been reported.
The flu vaccine is free for children between six months and five years old, as well as all Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, people over the age of 65, pregnant women and people with serious health problems.
Health authorities are warning that immunity remains particularly low in the general population after Covid lockdowns and border closures have caused cases to fall for two years.