Mums hit hardest as flu cases double, swine flu most common

Mothers are bearing the brunt of a sharp rise of flu in Australia, according to figures released today by a leading influenza researcher, whiles swine flu, or H1N1, is the most common influenza virus type.

There has been a sharp spike in the overall number of flu cases reported in Australia, with women aged 20-49 among those hit the hardest.

The Influenza Specialist Group (ISG) said more than 20,000 cases of influenza have been confirmed in Australia, with swine flu making up the majority of those cases.

The ISG said 7,100 cases of influenza confirmed in a laboratory were found in people aged between 20 and 49.

The ISG said women, including many mothers, were the most affected, with 25 per cent more women than men contracting the flu.

It said children commonly brought the flu home, meaning women were more susceptible to picking it up.

ISG research carried out in 2012 showed 70 per cent of women in Australia were not vaccinated.

Dr Alan Hampson, Chairman of the Influenza Specialist Group, said the numbers were a cause of concern.

“The reality is that influenza results in 18,000 hospitilsations every year," he said in a statement.

"Many of those seriously affected are not elderly people. They are regular working people."