Aussies warned of surge in deadly flu season
New data shows a 65.7 per cent jump in influenza deaths in 2024 compared to the previous year, with elevated numbers continuing into early 2025, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
There were 16 influenza-deaths recorded in January this year alone, and almost 10 times that in Covid-related deaths.
ABS figures show that both January and February this year recorded more flu deaths than the same period in most previous years, sparking fears of an early and potentially severe influenza season.
The trend has raised alarm among health experts, including director of the World Health Organisation's Melbourne-based Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza Patrick Reading.
Professor Reading said lab-confirmed cases of the flu had soared across the country since the start of the year.
'What we've got here are curves for different seasons … through January, February, March, and April, we've actually been tracking at increased numbers, thousands of increased numbers of lab-confirmed influenza in Australia,' Professor Reading said.
'You can see this kind of increasing trend in most of the jurisdictions since January, with a steady increase being observed.'
Traditionally, flu activity in Australia peaks during the winter months. However, this year's early onset more closely resembles patterns seen in the Northern Hemisphere, including Japan, the UK, and China.
'Coming into the start of this year, so the summer in Australia, coming into autumn, we've actually got increased levels of influenza activity in Australia, which sort of correlates with increased activity in the Northern Hemisphere as well.'
Influenza A and B viruses are responsible for most seasonal flu outbreaks, but each year sees a different mix of subtypes, making the virus difficult to predict and control.
This year's influenza vaccines have been updated to better target current strains, particularly the H3N2 subtype.
'The H3N2 component is kind of the problem child of the influenza vaccines,' Professor Reading said.
'It's the one that needs updating the most to keep up with the mutations that occur in the virus as it circulates around the world.'
He also warned that influenza won't be the only virus circulating this winter. COVID-19, RSV, norovirus, and strains of avian influenza such as H5N1 are also being closely monitored.
'In 2024, we had the first human case of H5N1 was recorded in Australia from a return traveller from India,' he said.
'That virus was detected and characterised here at our collaborating centre.'
While the avian influenza strain has raised international concern, including a significant outbreak in U.S. dairy herds, there is currently no indication of it spreading between humans.
'The virus is secreted into the milk,' Professor Reading said.
'At the moment, there have been 70 recorded human cases in the US. One death, but no evidence of person-to-person spread, which is really important.'
Professor Reading stressed the importance of vaccination, which he said is the 'best way' to reduce the likelihood of hospitalisation and GP visits associated with influenza infections.
Professor Julie Leask, a social scientist with the University of Sydney's Infectious Diseases Institute, said Australia's flu vaccination rates remain troublingly low.
'Our influenza vaccination rates in Australia are dire and they're not improving,' Professor Leask.
She noted that many serious outcomes could be avoided with better uptake of the vaccine.
'The vaccine isn't perfect, but it's much better than zero, which is what you're looking at if you don't have a vaccine.'
According to new research from the 2025 National Vaccination Insights Project, which surveyed over 2000 adults in March, nearly one-third of Australians haven't had a flu shot in the past two years.
Infectious diseases physician Dr Paul Griffin said the flu continues to take a heavy toll each year.
'We know that there's deaths in the order of thousands, hospitalisations around 20,000 every year,' Dr Griffin said.
'It's not just a flu, it's a very severe viral infection in its own right and can be life threatening.'
In Australia, the National Immunisation Program provides free flu shots to several groups, including young children, pregnant women, adults 65 and older, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and individuals with certain medical conditions.
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Medscape
7 minutes ago
- Medscape
Is Red Meat Bad for You? The Proof Is in the Processing
This transcript has been edited for clarity. Is red meat bad for you? On the one hand, meat makes you strong, and it's every American's God-given right to grill a steak on his barbecue during the summer. I believe this came up in a church synod at some point… But on the other hand, the WHO (World Health Organization) has declared red meat a carcinogen, with a hot dog being as bad as cigarette. Yes, that was headline when the report came out. So, how do we reconcile these opposing ideas? Part of the solution is realizing the WHO organization in question is based in France. Maybe they're still angry about the "freedom fries" thing, but actually examining the nuances of the French language will help us understand what's going on. If you don't speak French, don't worry I got you covered. Ce n'est pas si difficile de tout n'inquiétez vous pas. Vous allez voir . Sit back, grab a baguette, and let's find out how dangerous red meat really is. I'm Christopher Labos, and this is Medscape's On Second Thought . Bonjour, tout le monde! Now, meat doesn't seem like it should be a complex topic to study, but it is. Many people around the world eat animals, but we don't all eat the same animals. For example, this is a cow, often used to make hamburger and steak. And this is Tobi, God's perfect angel who gets a more elaborate birthday party than I do each year. He is my son, and I would throw myself in front of a moving car for him. By necessity, when we do medical research on meat, we are lumping together a whole lot of a different human behavior, with people eating different types of animals based on where they live. There's no real alternative, and frankly, you can't let the perfect become the enemy of the good. Most credible research will at least separate out red meat from white meat. But most people don't really know what the difference is. If you thought pork was white meat, you're wrong. You think that because of a marketing slogan. In 1987, the National Pork Board paid for the marketing campaign "Pork. The Other White Meat." They were basically trying to position pork as an alternative to chicken. People also usually think veal or deer is white meat. They think the difference between white and red meat has something to do the age of the animal, whether its free range, or the color of the meat. But it doesn't. Chefs and restaurants say all kinds of things, but the real definition is simple: Mammals are red meat, and birds are white meat. Now, there's another thing we need to explain. We have red meat, but we also have processed red meat. Processed red meat is when red meat is transformed in some way — and that doesn't mean cooking. If you just take a piece of steak and cook it on your barbecue or in the oven, that's not processed meat. Processing is doing things like salting the meat, smoking it, or curing it. Processed meat includes items like bacon, sausages, hot dogs, salami, corn beef, and smoked meat. So, when we talk about red meat and health risks, we are primarily talking about processed red meat. And the people talking about this are the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC). IARC is a WHO organization, and their mandate is to promote international research on cancer — particularly its cause. One of their programs is a monograph program that evaluates the evidence of the carcinogenicity of specific exposures. Here's where a knowledge of French is going to come in handy. IARC likes to look at something called the hazard, rather than the risk. In fact, every time they have a press conference, they spend about 5 minutes explaining the difference to people, which begs the question: Why not just study risk and be done with it? In English, those words seem pretty much like synonyms. And with the way most people use them, they essentially are. But in French, they are slightly different. Le risque et le hasard don't quite mean the same thing in French. To be fair, their definitions are technically different in English, as well — as those of you who read the dictionary for fun already know. A risk is the probability that something harmful will happen. A hazard is a potential source of harm. For example, a grenade is a hazardous thing to have on your desk, but the risk of it exploding is quite low… unless you pull the pin. IARC is researching hazard. They are evaluating whether something is associated with cancer, not how risky that something is. IARC categorizes everything into groups: carcinogenic to humans, probably carcinogenic, possibly carcinogenic, or not classifiable. There is technically a "not carcinogenic" group, but there's nothing in there. Well, there was one substance in there for a bit, but they removed it. Comment below if you know what that substance is. Here's a hint: You find it in yoga pants. So, IARC has never found anything that doesn't cause cancer. When they go hunting for heffalumps and woozles, they find heffalumps and woozles. To be fair, which I am under no contractual obligation to be, they are a WHO agency, and they are tasked to review substances that are of interest to world governments. As such, they are not going to review stuff that is clearly unrelated to cancer… but still. They put a lot of stuff in Group 1, the (definitely) carcinogenic group. Tamoxifen is in Group 1, and as most of you know, tamoxifen treats breast cancer. It has saved countless lives. Calling it a carcinogen sounds a bit daft, but it is associated with abnormal uterine bleeding and an increased risk of uterine cancer. And the data is pretty uncontroversial, right? Thus, IARC says, 'We are certain this association is true, therefore it goes in Group 1.' But what's the risk of tamoxifen causing uterine cancer? It's 0.3% on the absolute risk scale. It's basically zero and a heck of a lot lower than the breast cancer risk. Clearly, you should take the drug if you have ER-positive breast cancer. So, this is the problem. IARC is saying how certain they are that something is dangerous, but not how dangerous something is. Conclusive data will land a substance into Group 1: carcinogenic. Strong but not conclusive data goes into Group 2a: probably carcinogenic. If there's only some evidence, contradictory evidence, or maybe just animal data, you get sorted into Group 2b: possibly carcinogenic. And Group 3 is used when there's not much data to work off of. Generally, their system works okay. They put tobacco, asbestos, and gamma radiation in Group 1, which makes sense. But then also put stuff like birth control pills, estrogen, and tamoxifen in Group 1. Sure, there is a small increased risk of breast cancer with birth control pills if you have a family history, but it's a pretty small risk and frankly negligible for the general population — plus, it's largely outweighed by the decrease in ovarian cancer risk that comes with using birth control pills. But IARC isn't doing that type of nuanced calculation. They say, 'Estrogen causes breast cancer. The pill has estrogen. The link is proven. The pill goes into Group 1.' So, it was IARC that reviewed all the data about processed red meat and declared it a Group 1 carcinogen. Fun fact: Unprocessed red meat was only put in Group 2A because the data was less solid. For anybody grilling a steak right now, this doesn't apply to you. But not everybody agreed with IARC. The Nutritional Recommendations (NutriRECS) Consortium was a group of researchers who also reviewed the data on red meat and came to a completely different conclusion. Their analysis was motivated by two things: 1) the funding they received from the beef industry (this is why we can't have nice things), and 2) they dismissed much of the research because it comes from observational cohorts, not randomized controlled trials. In food science, randomized controlled trials are hard to conduct, because telling people what to eat is often met with "make me." Regardless, the NutriRECS Consortium conclusion was, 'Keep eating meat, as the data is uncertain because most of it is observational.' This conclusion is a bit reductionist to me, because we have a lot of observational data pointing toward health risks associated with processed red meat, and I have a hard time believing all the stuff added to processed red meat is doing us any favors. But let's take the IARC assessment at face value. They are convinced by the hazard or the hasard. But what's the risk? The cancer risk is most clear cut for colon cancer, which is pretty logical. Your lifetime risk of colon cancer is about 4%, assuming you're of general risk with no family history or genetic risk factors. It's actually 4.2% for males and 4.0% for females, according to the 2022 Cancer Statistics from the American Cancer Society. But let's say 4% for everyone — just for simplicity. The IARC report estimated that eating an extra 50 g of processed meat per day, every day, increased your risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. Take 4%, multiply it by 1.18, and you get 4.72%. So, let's say 5% if we're rounding. All this to say, if you eat hot dogs every day of your life, your risk of getting colon cancer goes up by 1 percentage point on the absolute scale. Now, on first instinct you might say, "Pfff, that's nothing. Pass the bratwurst." But 1% on the absolute scale is not trivial. That's thousands of cases per year. Millions of cases over the course of your lifetime in a country of 300 million people. It has some important public health implications. Is the risk high enough for us to stop killing and eating Bambi's mother? Hard to say. It's not negligible, but it's not astronomical either. And there are economic and environmental factors to keep in mind — issues that are often forgotten when we talk about medicine. I will stress one point, though. The IARC estimates of 1% absolute risk increase are about daily consumption of processed meat. You don't need to eat jerky every day of your life. For Medscape, I'm Dr Christopher Labos… with Tobi.
CNN
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This rare but severe flu complication can affect healthy children
Respiratory viruses Vaccines Children's healthFacebookTweetLink Follow We all know that influenza is a common and serious viral infection, but it's good to be reminded ahead of the upcoming flu season, which typically starts in October. There were an estimated 47 million to 82 million flu illnesses in the United States between October 2024 and May 2025, resulting in between 610,000 and 1.3 million hospitalizations, according to preliminary estimated ranges from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most fatalities occur in older individuals, but children can also die from the flu. The CDC estimates that flu-related deaths in children have generally ranged from 37 to 199 deaths each flu season. Now, a new study in JAMA has examined a rare but severe complication that can occur in children who contract the flu. This complication, called acute necrotizing encephalopathy, or ANE, carries a mortality rate of 27% despite intensive care and treatment, according to the new research. I wanted to learn more about complications associated with the flu, specifically about ANE, what researchers learned about children with ANE, and how can ANE be prevented. And what should parents and families know ahead of the next flu season? To help with these questions, I spoke with CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen. Wen is an emergency physician and clinical associate professor at George Washington University. She previously was Baltimore's health commissioner. CNN: What are complications associated with the flu? Who is most at risk? Dr. Leana Wen: Most people who have the flu will recover without complications. They may go through days or even weeks having fever, runny nose, headache and fatigue, but these symptoms generally resolve without long-term consequences. Some people, though, experience complications that could result in severe illness or even death. These complications include pneumonia, sinus and ear infections, brain and neurological conditions, and the worsening of existing medical problems such as heart and kidney disease. People at higher risk for flu complications include individuals 65 years and older, children younger than 2 and pregnant women. In addition, there are a variety of chronic medical conditions that increase risk, including chronic lung disease, diabetes, heart disease, liver disorders, kidney dysfunction and any condition that makes you immunocompromised. CNN: What exactly is ANE, and how common is it? Wen: ANE is a rare but very serious condition that occurs as a result of influenza infection. It causes inflammation and swelling in the brain, and it can lead to seizures, impaired consciousness, coma, long-term brain damage and death. It's not known precisely how common this condition is or whether the incidence has been changing in recent years. It can also occur after other viral illnesses, but it has been most closely associated with influenza, and most often in children. CNN: What did researchers in this study find out about children with ANE? Wen: They sought information from US pediatric hospitals and public health agencies regarding cases of pediatric ANE treated between October 2023 and May 2025. In total, they included 41 children with influenza-related ANE. The median age of these children was 5, and about 3 out of 4 were previously healthy. Importantly, just 16% of those for whom vaccination history was available had received the flu vaccine that season. All these patients became very ill, and all developed encephalopathy, or altered brain function. Sixty-eight percent had seizures. Most had abnormalities in their platelet count, liver enzymes and spinal fluid composition. Most patients received a combination of therapies, including steroids and immunoglobulins. Out of 41 patients in the analysis, 11 died. The median period between symptom onset and death was just three days; most of the children who died had such severe brain swelling that the pressure forced the brain downward, crushing vital areas that control breathing and heart function. All but one of the children who died had not received the latest flu vaccine. Among the survivors included in the analysis, 63% had at least moderate disability. The first takeaway for me is that ANE, while rare, is extremely serious, with high morbidity and mortality. It can be deadly within a short period of time, which means prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential. Second, most children with ANE were previously healthy. Third, while some vaccinated children also became ill, most of those with ANE and nearly all of those who died had not received the flu vaccine that season. CNN: How can ANE be prevented? Wen: It is not known why most people who contract flu never develop ANE, but some do. It's also not known whether there is anything that be done once someone contracts the flu to prevent ANE. What is known is that getting the flu vaccine reduces the chance of contracting the flu and of becoming severely ill as a result. This JAMA study also suggests that vaccination reduces the likelihood of developing ANE and of dying from it. The article and an accompanying editorial emphasize the importance of everyone being up-to-date with the flu vaccine. CNN: What else should parents and families know ahead of the next flu season? Wen: Influenza is a common illness that can have serious complications, including in previously healthy individuals. Getting the flu vaccine is helpful both for reducing the chance of contracting the flu and for lowering the likelihood of developing complications. The CDC recommends the flu vaccine for virtually everyone 6 months and older. Parents should be sure that their children receive the flu vaccine in the fall and that they and others in the family are vaccinated, too. Of course, flu is not the only contagious respiratory illness that can spread in fall and winter months. It's important for people who have fever and active respiratory symptoms to stay away from others, especially those most vulnerable to severe illness. Good hand hygiene can lower the risk of spreading contagious diseases, as can taking precautions like masking in indoor crowded settings.
CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
This rare but severe flu complication can affect healthy children
We all know that influenza is a common and serious viral infection, but it's good to be reminded ahead of the upcoming flu season, which typically starts in October. There were an estimated 47 million to 82 million flu illnesses in the United States between October 2024 and May 2025, resulting in between 610,000 and 1.3 million hospitalizations, according to preliminary estimated ranges from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most fatalities occur in older individuals, but children can also die from the flu. The CDC estimates that flu-related deaths in children have generally ranged from 37 to 199 deaths each flu season. Now, a new study in JAMA has examined a rare but severe complication that can occur in children who contract the flu. This complication, called acute necrotizing encephalopathy, or ANE, carries a mortality rate of 27% despite intensive care and treatment, according to the new research. I wanted to learn more about complications associated with the flu, specifically about ANE, what researchers learned about children with ANE, and how can ANE be prevented. And what should parents and families know ahead of the next flu season? To help with these questions, I spoke with CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen. Wen is an emergency physician and clinical associate professor at George Washington University. She previously was Baltimore's health commissioner. CNN: What are complications associated with the flu? Who is most at risk? Dr. Leana Wen: Most people who have the flu will recover without complications. They may go through days or even weeks having fever, runny nose, headache and fatigue, but these symptoms generally resolve without long-term consequences. Some people, though, experience complications that could result in severe illness or even death. These complications include pneumonia, sinus and ear infections, brain and neurological conditions, and the worsening of existing medical problems such as heart and kidney disease. People at higher risk for flu complications include individuals 65 years and older, children younger than 2 and pregnant women. In addition, there are a variety of chronic medical conditions that increase risk, including chronic lung disease, diabetes, heart disease, liver disorders, kidney dysfunction and any condition that makes you immunocompromised. CNN: What exactly is ANE, and how common is it? Wen: ANE is a rare but very serious condition that occurs as a result of influenza infection. It causes inflammation and swelling in the brain, and it can lead to seizures, impaired consciousness, coma, long-term brain damage and death. It's not known precisely how common this condition is or whether the incidence has been changing in recent years. It can also occur after other viral illnesses, but it has been most closely associated with influenza, and most often in children. CNN: What did researchers in this study find out about children with ANE? Wen: They sought information from US pediatric hospitals and public health agencies regarding cases of pediatric ANE treated between October 2023 and May 2025. In total, they included 41 children with influenza-related ANE. The median age of these children was 5, and about 3 out of 4 were previously healthy. Importantly, just 16% of those for whom vaccination history was available had received the flu vaccine that season. All these patients became very ill, and all developed encephalopathy, or altered brain function. Sixty-eight percent had seizures. Most had abnormalities in their platelet count, liver enzymes and spinal fluid composition. Most patients received a combination of therapies, including steroids and immunoglobulins. Out of 41 patients in the analysis, 11 died. The median period between symptom onset and death was just three days; most of the children who died had such severe brain swelling that the pressure forced the brain downward, crushing vital areas that control breathing and heart function. All but one of the children who died had not received the latest flu vaccine. Among the survivors included in the analysis, 63% had at least moderate disability. The first takeaway for me is that ANE, while rare, is extremely serious, with high morbidity and mortality. It can be deadly within a short period of time, which means prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential. Second, most children with ANE were previously healthy. Third, while some vaccinated children also became ill, most of those with ANE and nearly all of those who died had not received the flu vaccine that season. CNN: How can ANE be prevented? Wen: It is not known why most people who contract flu never develop ANE, but some do. It's also not known whether there is anything that be done once someone contracts the flu to prevent ANE. What is known is that getting the flu vaccine reduces the chance of contracting the flu and of becoming severely ill as a result. This JAMA study also suggests that vaccination reduces the likelihood of developing ANE and of dying from it. The article and an accompanying editorial emphasize the importance of everyone being up-to-date with the flu vaccine. CNN: What else should parents and families know ahead of the next flu season? Wen: Influenza is a common illness that can have serious complications, including in previously healthy individuals. Getting the flu vaccine is helpful both for reducing the chance of contracting the flu and for lowering the likelihood of developing complications. The CDC recommends the flu vaccine for virtually everyone 6 months and older. Parents should be sure that their children receive the flu vaccine in the fall and that they and others in the family are vaccinated, too. Of course, flu is not the only contagious respiratory illness that can spread in fall and winter months. It's important for people who have fever and active respiratory symptoms to stay away from others, especially those most vulnerable to severe illness. Good hand hygiene can lower the risk of spreading contagious diseases, as can taking precautions like masking in indoor crowded settings.
