Latest news with #JulieLeask
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Australia has had record flu cases this year – and that's before winter arrives. What's going on?
Australia is being struck by a surge in respiratory illnesses, with record breaking inter-seasonal flu cases since the start of the year. However, flu remains the 'underdog of infectious diseases', in that people underestimate its severity, and as a result vaccinations rates remain stubbornly low, Prof Julie Leask from the University of Sydney, says. What are the case numbers and how can you protect yourself? In 2025 there had been 83,402 flu cases nationally, as of Tuesday, according to the government's national notifiable diseases surveillance system (NNDSS). It represents a rise of more than 10,000 more cases compared to the 73,641 flu cases reported to the end of May last year. There have also been 67,141 cases of Covid-19, and 52,611 cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – which causes infections of the lungs – to date this year, as of Tuesday, according to the NNDSS. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Prof Paul Griffin, an infectious diseases physician from the University of Queensland, says the country is experiencing a record-breaking surge in respiratory illnesses, with flu cases the highest ever recorded outside the traditional winter months. 'This year's cases are well above what we've seen for the past five years for January, February, March and April, very clearly,' Griffin says. Griffin says it is unclear what the high number of cases will mean for the rest of the season: 'We don't know till we're in it. It does mean with that number of cases already, low vaccination rates, the impact is already very significant and more significant than it should be because we've got a very small proportion of people vaccinated.' Figures from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance show that in the year to date only 11.7% of children between six months and five years old received the flu vaccine, despite this age group being among the most at-risk of developing serious complications. Only 7.6% of five- to 15-year-olds, 12.8% of 15- to 50-year-olds, 21.2% of 50- to 65-year-olds, and under half (46.9%) of those over 65 have had vaccines to date this year. Griffin says 'with that much flu already, it's very clear we need to have as many people vaccinated as possible and we're well below that. The vaccine rates are still terrible.' Leask says flu vaccination needs to be a habit for Australians, with data showing once someone receives a vaccine one year, they tend to continue it the next. It's important for healthcare workers to encourage patients to initiate that habit, she says. Griffin urges everyone to get vaccinated for flu, as well as consider taking other steps to prevent getting infected, like hand hygiene and air purifiers and even mask wearing for high-risk people.
SBS Australia
06-05-2025
- Health
- SBS Australia
As flu season approaches, there's a 'dire' reason alarm bells are ringing in Australia
More than 63,000 flu cases have been reported this year in Australia. Source: Getty / Tom Merton Tens of thousands of have already been reported in Australia so far this year , and with flu season around the corner, experts are concerned that many people aren't taking the consequences seriously enough. More than 63,000 flu cases have been reported this year, tracking above the average number of cases for the past five years. The number of cases seen so far, combined with a persistently low for flu, have set off alarm bells in the medical community. Earlier this year, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) called for action after over 48,000 cases were reported in the first quarter of the year. In 2024, there were 30,494 cases, and in 2023, there were 18,582 cases in the same period. RACGP president Dr Michael Wright said vaccination rates for the flu have fallen and brought attention to the most severe consequences of the illness. "More than 1,000 deaths last year involved the flu, a 67.3 per cent increase on 2023, while more than 4200 people were admitted to hospital," he said. While the number of cases seen in flu seasons is difficult to predict, as Australia moves into the colder months, there will be an exponential increase in the number of cases. Flu seasons have become harder to predict since the COVID-19 pandemic, so it's currently unclear whether this season will continue on its record trajectory. However, professor Julie Leask from the University of Sydney said the consequences of the flu can be serious, regardless of comparisons to previous years. "It doesn't necessarily need to be a record flu season for it to be important," she said. In January, 16 Australians died from the flu, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The flu is typically caused by influenza A or B, but there are many subtypes and strains of these viruses, and dominant strains tend to change year to year. The illness can cause fever and chills, sneezing, coughing, a sore throat, and gastrointestinal issues in children. Professor Paul Griffin from the University of Queensland told SBS News that while many people believe that flu is "just like a cold", it has huge impacts on the community and can cause severe illness. While the flu is predominantly a respiratory infection, it can have impacts on "basically the whole body", Griffin said. Severe bronchitis, inflammation of the brain (known as encephalitis), heart issues like myocarditis and muscle issues such as acute viral myositis can occur in rare cases. The flu is also known to contribute to heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular issues. "Obviously that's not the most common outcome from the flu, and most people won't require hospitalisation or get all of those things. But the unfortunate reality is enough people do that it's a big problem," Griffin said. Young children, older adults, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with chronic medical conditions, immunocompromised people and smokers are at greater risk of severe illness or complications. But adults who don't belong to these groups can also experience these issues. Leask told SBS News the flu has a "personality problem" because it can be confused with other less-serious viruses. "It's estimated that around 3,000 people a year die from flu, whether it's on their death certificate or there's some other death, such as a cardiac death that flu brought on. That's the estimate. So, it's really quite a burdensome disease that's underappreciated," she said. The flu also places a massive weight on the medical system every year, with hundreds of thousands of GP visits and thousands of hospitalisations. "The flow-on effect of that is that people who need to seek primary care or go to hospital then struggle to get those issues addressed," Griffin said Vaccination rates for the flu have been trending downwards in recent years. In 2020, 13.6 per cent of people aged 15 to 50 had been vaccinated by May, according to the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. This year, 8.2 per cent have been vaccinated so far. Leask said Australia's vaccination rates for the flu are consistently "dire", and while the majority of Australians complete childhood vaccinations, the uptake of yearly flu vaccinations is more subject to motivation and access. In Australia, the flu shot is free for young children, pregnant women, adults aged 65 and older, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people with certain medical conditions under the National Immunisation Program. Most others have to pay out-of-pocket for the flu shot. Leask said vaccination rates are improved by services that remind Australians they're due for their shots, encourage them to get one and provide services and systems that make it as convenient as possible. People are also much more likely to receive the flu shot in a year if they have had at least one in the past two years. "We know that flu vaccination is a habit, and once you start that habit, you tend to continue with it," Leask said. However, there are many prevailing myths about the flu vaccination that can also discourage people from getting the shot, Griffin said. One issue is that many people believe they will get sick from the flu regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. While the vaccine can't provide total coverage against infection, Griffin said there are still strong benefits to getting the shot. "Breakthrough infections can happen relatively commonly, so you can be vaccinated and still get the flu," Griffin said. "But what we know is that no matter what happens when you get the flu after you're vaccinated, it's going to help at least a little bit in terms of reducing the severity, perhaps duration, and perhaps the ability to pass it on. There's a whole host of benefits." Leask also stressed that vaccination is not just about protecting yourself — it is also about trying to ensure the safety of others in the community who may develop more severe illness. "We need to remind people that this is not just about protecting yourself from what could be a rotten couple of weeks laid out, days of work, feeling really crook," she said. "If I get a flu vaccine, I'm less likely to get the flu and therefore much less likely to pass it on to my old mother, who I really don't want to make sick from influenza because she could get really sick from it."
News.com.au
06-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Flu vaccine coverage drops in Australia, experts call for urgent action
Australian health experts are sounding the alarm over low flu vaccination rates as winter sets in, warning children and older adults are particularly vulnerable to a dangerous and potentially deadly flu season. Despite being eligible for free flu shots, fewer than one in three children under five, and just 32.5 per cent of Australians aged 65 and over, have been vaccinated so far this year. In the first three months of this year, 84 people died from Influenza, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, released last week. A social scientist with the University of Sydney's Infectious Diseases Institute, Professor Julie Leask, said the nation's flu vaccination coverage is 'perpetually low'. 'Our influenza vaccination rates in Australia are dire and they're not improving,' she said Professor Leask said some flu-related hospitalisations and deaths were 'potentially preventable'. '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. Of course, there are other measures to reduce the risk of respiratory infections, but nothing matches an effectiveness of even between 50 and 70 per cent and even better in children having that vaccine,' she said. The National Centre for Immunisation Research found that just 62 per cent of people received a flu vaccine by the end of the 2024 season, a drop compared to 2022. Children, aged six month to five year olds, had a low coverage rate of 28 per cent. Professor Leask said new data from the 2025 National Vaccination Insights Project, which surveyed more than 2000 adults in March, shows many Australians are underestimating the seriousness of influenza, with nearly one-third not having had a flu shot in the past two years. By March, only 32.5 per cent of people aged 65 and over, one of the most vulnerable groups, had received their flu shot, a rate that shows no improvement on previous years. 32 per cent of all adults surveyed reported they hadn't received a flu vaccine at all in the past two years. Cost, inconvenience, and access, especially in rural areas, were key barriers to getting vaccinated, according to the survey. The most common places people received their flu shot were GP clinics, pharmacies, and workplaces. Although many respondents said they planned to get vaccinated, concern about catching the flu remained low, even among groups at higher risk of severe illness. While the majority of respondents believed the flu vaccine was safe, 22 per cent did not. Professor Leask suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to the unusually low vaccination rates. 'The idea here is that after Covid, people were really over the topic of vaccination,' she said. 'There might have been a bit of a backlash in some groups about that, and people wanted to get on with their lives and were a little bit disengaged from vaccination.' Dr Paul Griffin, an infectious diseases physician, underscored the yearly devastation caused by the flu. 'We know that there's deaths in the order of thousands, hospitalisations around 20,000 every year,' Dr Griffin said. 'Hundreds of thousands of doctors at visits and quite a lot of financial implications in terms of lost work days. So while a lot of people underestimate the flu at the moment, the impact is very significant.' He said people at higher risk include children, older adults, pregnant women, people with chronic medical conditions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and smokers. 'It's not just a flu, it's a very severe viral infection in its own right and can be life threatening,' he said. Professor Leask said that dispelling myths, along with effective campaigning and communication, and convenient access could help increase vaccine uptake. 'We need to keep busting those myths, such as the flu vaccine gives you the flu, it doesn't. 'Campaigns need to remind people of the benefits to self and others if we get a vaccine. We might not think we're at risk, but we may help protect other people who are. 'We might not think we're at risk, but we may help protect other people who are,' she said.
Perth Now
06-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
‘Dire': Grim warning on deadly flu season
Australian health experts are sounding the alarm over low flu vaccination rates as winter sets in, warning children and older adults are particularly vulnerable to a dangerous and potentially deadly flu season. Despite being eligible for free flu shots, fewer than one in three children under five, and just 32.5 per cent of Australians aged 65 and over, have been vaccinated so far this year. In the first three months of this year, 84 people died from Influenza, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, released last week. A social scientist with the University of Sydney's Infectious Diseases Institute, Professor Julie Leask, said the nation's flu vaccination coverage is 'perpetually low'. 'Our influenza vaccination rates in Australia are dire and they're not improving,' she said Professor Leask said some flu-related hospitalisations and deaths were 'potentially preventable'. Professor Leask suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to the unusually low vaccination rates. NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty Credit: News Corp Australia '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. Of course, there are other measures to reduce the risk of respiratory infections, but nothing matches an effectiveness of even between 50 and 70 per cent and even better in children having that vaccine,' she said. The National Centre for Immunisation Research found that just 62 per cent of people received a flu vaccine by the end of the 2024 season, a drop compared to 2022. Children, aged six month to five year olds, had a low coverage rate of 28 per cent. Professor Leask said new data from the 2025 National Vaccination Insights Project, which surveyed more than 2000 adults in March, shows many Australians are underestimating the seriousness of influenza, with nearly one-third not having had a flu shot in the past two years. Professor Julie Leask said Australians are underestimating the seriousness of influenza. supplied Credit: Supplied By March, only 32.5 per cent of people aged 65 and over, one of the most vulnerable groups, had received their flu shot, a rate that shows no improvement on previous years. 32 per cent of all adults surveyed reported they hadn't received a flu vaccine at all in the past two years. Cost, inconvenience, and access, especially in rural areas, were key barriers to getting vaccinated, according to the survey. The most common places people received their flu shot were GP clinics, pharmacies, and workplaces. Although many respondents said they planned to get vaccinated, concern about catching the flu remained low, even among groups at higher risk of severe illness. While the majority of respondents believed the flu vaccine was safe, 22 per cent did not. With flu vaccination rates still low, experts stress that this year's flu season could have dire consequences, especially for the elderly and young children. NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett Credit: News Corp Australia Professor Leask suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to the unusually low vaccination rates. 'The idea here is that after Covid, people were really over the topic of vaccination,' she said.'There might have been a bit of a backlash in some groups about that, and people wanted to get on with their lives and were a little bit disengaged from vaccination.' Dr Paul Griffin, an infectious diseases physician, underscored the yearly devastation caused by the flu. 'We know that there's deaths in the order of thousands, hospitalisations around 20,000 every year,' Dr Griffin said. 'Hundreds of thousands of doctors at visits and quite a lot of financial implications in terms of lost work days. So while a lot of people underestimate the flu at the moment, the impact is very significant.' Dr Paul Griffin said the impact of the flu is 'very significant'. supplied Credit: Supplied He said people at higher risk include children, older adults, pregnant women, people with chronic medical conditions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and smokers. 'It's not just a flu, it's a very severe viral infection in its own right and can be life threatening,' he said. Professor Leask said that dispelling myths, along with effective campaigning and communication, and convenient access could help increase vaccine uptake. 'We need to keep busting those myths, such as the flu vaccine gives you the flu, it doesn't. 'Campaigns need to remind people of the benefits to self and others if we get a vaccine. We might not think we're at risk, but we may help protect other people who are. 'We might not think we're at risk, but we may help protect other people who are,' she said.
West Australian
06-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Flu vaccine coverage drops in Australia, experts call for urgent action
Australian health experts are sounding the alarm over low flu vaccination rates as winter sets in, warning children and older adults are particularly vulnerable to a dangerous and potentially deadly flu season. Despite being eligible for free flu shots, fewer than one in three children under five, and just 32.5 per cent of Australians aged 65 and over, have been vaccinated so far this year. In the first three months of this year, 84 people died from Influenza, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, released last week. A social scientist with the University of Sydney's Infectious Diseases Institute, Professor Julie Leask, said the nation's flu vaccination coverage is 'perpetually low'. 'Our influenza vaccination rates in Australia are dire and they're not improving,' she said Professor Leask said some flu-related hospitalisations and deaths were 'potentially preventable'. '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. Of course, there are other measures to reduce the risk of respiratory infections, but nothing matches an effectiveness of even between 50 and 70 per cent and even better in children having that vaccine,' she said. The National Centre for Immunisation Research found that just 62 per cent of people received a flu vaccine by the end of the 2024 season, a drop compared to 2022. Children, aged six month to five year olds, had a low coverage rate of 28 per cent. Professor Leask said new data from the 2025 National Vaccination Insights Project, which surveyed more than 2000 adults in March, shows many Australians are underestimating the seriousness of influenza, with nearly one-third not having had a flu shot in the past two years. By March, only 32.5 per cent of people aged 65 and over, one of the most vulnerable groups, had received their flu shot, a rate that shows no improvement on previous years. 32 per cent of all adults surveyed reported they hadn't received a flu vaccine at all in the past two years. Cost, inconvenience, and access, especially in rural areas, were key barriers to getting vaccinated, according to the survey. The most common places people received their flu shot were GP clinics, pharmacies, and workplaces. Although many respondents said they planned to get vaccinated, concern about catching the flu remained low, even among groups at higher risk of severe illness. While the majority of respondents believed the flu vaccine was safe, 22 per cent did not. Professor Leask suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to the unusually low vaccination rates. 'The idea here is that after Covid, people were really over the topic of vaccination,' she said.'There might have been a bit of a backlash in some groups about that, and people wanted to get on with their lives and were a little bit disengaged from vaccination.' Dr Paul Griffin, an infectious diseases physician, underscored the yearly devastation caused by the flu. 'We know that there's deaths in the order of thousands, hospitalisations around 20,000 every year,' Dr Griffin said. 'Hundreds of thousands of doctors at visits and quite a lot of financial implications in terms of lost work days. So while a lot of people underestimate the flu at the moment, the impact is very significant.' He said people at higher risk include children, older adults, pregnant women, people with chronic medical conditions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and smokers. 'It's not just a flu, it's a very severe viral infection in its own right and can be life threatening,' he said. Professor Leask said that dispelling myths, along with effective campaigning and communication, and convenient access could help increase vaccine uptake. 'We need to keep busting those myths, such as the flu vaccine gives you the flu, it doesn't. 'Campaigns need to remind people of the benefits to self and others if we get a vaccine. We might not think we're at risk, but we may help protect other people who are. 'We might not think we're at risk, but we may help protect other people who are,' she said.
