A record number of flu cases have been reported for the start of 2024 and could be a sign of another early peak to the season this winter, according to a leading influenza expert.

Nearly 30,000 cases of influenza were reported to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System between January and March this year, which was the highest level for the same period since the 2019 season.

Professor Ian Barr — deputy director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne — said the virus’ behaviour had been “unusual” and that its seasonality may have been altered by the pandemic.

“Pre-COVID-19, our normal winter epidemic peaked in August, but for the past couple of years, we have seen much earlier seasons, with peaks in late June or early July,” he told AusDoc.