What's driving surge in flu cases
In just the past week, 34 school-aged children have been admitted to hospitals in Queensland with influenza. Across the past month, 137 five-17-year-olds have ended up in hospital.
The state's death toll from flu-related illnesses continues to rise, with 118 people having died this year.
'I want to support parents to prioritise the health of their kids and encourage vaccination as the best way to avoid serious illness and hospitalisation,' Queensland chief health officer Catherine McDougall said.
Queenslanders can get free flu jabs from more than 2500 providers across the state, including GPs, pharmacies and community clinics. Almost 90 per cent of flu cases in Queensland this year are in people unvaccinated. NewsWire / Ian Currie Credit: News Corp Australia
'Children aged over six months are eligible to be vaccinated, but unfortunately, we're seeing many children who are not vaccinated being hospitalised.'
Of 53,572 flu cases in the state this year, 88 per cent were not vaccinated, the latest Queensland Health data shows. The state is in the grip of a mammoth flu season, as cases continue to rise.
The unvaccinated-case rate has increased from 86 to 88 per cent during the past week.
About 13,000 Queenslanders have been vaccinated in the past week, taking the total up to 1,684,524.
This year, 118 people have died from flu-related illnesses, including 16 people aged under 65. At this stage last year, 120 people had died.
'Many of these deaths could have been prevented through vaccination,' Dr McDougall said.
'It's also important that in addition to vaccination, Queenslanders prioritise good hygiene habits. Premier David Crisafulli has declined to say whether he got a flu shot this year. NewsWire / John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia
'Washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes, staying at home when you are sick and wearing a mask if you are unable to physically distance can help stop the spread of respiratory illnesses.'
Almost half of the state's flu cases are people aged between 18 and 64. More than 5600 kids under five have contracted influenza this year, as have 9200 people aged over 65.
'Children are more likely to catch and spread influenza, contributing to transmission in the community, but young children are also vulnerable to serious illness from the flu,' Dr McDougall said.
The state's healthcare professionals have recorded 28,628 cases of Covid-19 this year, with 1165 cases in the past week.
In June, Health Minister Tim Nicholls was forced to put a 48-hour pause on elective surgeries, as hospitals were overwhelmed by flu and Covid-19 cases.
Premier David Crisafulli and Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie have both publicly declined to say if they are vaccinated.
Mr Crisafulli was willing to be photographed getting his Covid-19 vaccination during the pandemic.
The Queensland government scrapped the free flu jabs given out at the Royal Queensland Show this year.
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