Doctors are bracing for a rapid surge in paediatric influenza cases, with children under 10 now accounting for a third of flu notifications this year. 

Nearly 85,000 lab-confirmed cases have been reported to the National Communicable Disease Surveillance System (NDSS) to date, of which some 28,000 were seen in the 0-4 and 5-9 age groups. 

In contrast, over-65s accounted for just 9% of all notifications. 

Infectious diseases paediatrician Professor Robert Booy said this spike could be put down to “special circumstances” resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, including reduced community-wide immunity and low vaccination rates.