Australia experiences worst flu season on record

[left-of-center2012]

The 2019 flu season was Australia's worst in recorded history, data has confirmed. "In terms of sheer numbers and the load on general practice and emergency departments, this is the worst flu season that's ever been," Paul van Buynder, an immunization expert from Griffith University, told News Corp Australia.

According to the local media report, there had been 587 deaths from the flu, the vast majority of which were of elderly people. By comparison, there were only 73 deaths from the flu in 2018.

Australia's authorities were caught by surprise when the 2019 season started early. In Canberra, Australia's capital city, the 3,402 confirmed cases of influenza so far in 2019 is more than the number of cases in 2016, 2017 and 2018 combined.

The flu season in the United States begins in October.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201909/05/WS5d70a52da310cf3e35569e87.html

[Aristus]

1. Get your flu shot, everybody.

And for the anti-vaxxers out there masquerading as "concerned" citizens: save your bad breath. I'm going with science on this. Influenza immunization saves lives.

[smirkymonkey]

2. I always get a flu shot every year. Wondering if I should get one early this year.

Any ideas why this season was so much worse than previous seasons? Was it a more virulent strain or was the vaccine they were given not adequate for the strain that that ended up being spread? Or were there other factors?

I always wonder if and when we will see a flu virus that we can't vaccinate against.

[Aristus]

3. The two risk factors that are most common are the ones you mentioned.

Virulence, and incomplete immunity granted by that year's vaccine. But as I tell the anti-vaxxers, a partial immunity can be the difference between life and death.