Influenza surges early with 58,000 cases so far this year
Dr Rod Pearce is urging GPs to consider antivirals for flu and prescribe them earlier.
A GP expert says this year’s early influenza surge is unsurprising but disappointing as it can be explained partly by Australia’s low vaccination rates.
More than 58,500 cases have been reported so far this year, according to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System, including 49,000 cases in the first three months of 2025.
This compares with 30,000 cases in the first three months of 2024 and 19,000 in the same period of 2023.
Children aged 14 or younger account for nearly 30% of this year’s cases.
