in brief
- More than 1,700 people died in Australia last year after getting the flu, making it the worst flu season on record.
- The flu vaccines are available now with April and May regarded as the ideal window to get protection before the worst of the flu season.
Infectious disease specialists are urging everyone to get a flu vaccination because of a fast-spreading flu variant known as subclade K or Super-K flu.
Experts are warning this influenza variant is already spreading through the community, with those aged over 50 the most vulnerable.
Last year, Australia had more than 500,000 cases of flu and there have already been more than 24,000 cases this year, well before the peak of the flu season.
A total of 1,738 people died in Australia last year after getting the flu, making it the worst flu season on record.
Director of Infectious Diseases at the Mater in Brisbane, Paul Griffin, said everyone should get a flu vaccination for protection against Super-K.
He explained that the vaccine has been updated to give better coverage against the emerging strain compared to last year's one.
"As we do every year, we've updated that vaccine, we've included different types of flu that should give us the best protection to what we're expecting to see," he told SBS News.
"So, perhaps this year is more important than ever to get your flu vaccine because it has been updated accordingly."
Griffin said the case numbers are higher than they should be because vaccination rates have fallen since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"They're very concerning figures and part of that will be the emergence of subclade K or Super-K but also a big part of that will be under-vaccination," he said.
"And while we can't control the flu itself, what we can control is the magnitude of disease we see as a result by increasing vaccination as well as by trying to reduce transmission."
Misinformation and disinformation about vaccines is partly responsible for the low immunisation figures, he added.
This strain is 'genetically altered'
Infectious diseases paediatrician Robert Booy from the University of Sydney has told Channel 9 the Super-K form of the flu is a public health threat because it spreads very easily.
"The influenza K subclade is genetically altered so that it spreads much more easily. It isn't more severe but because you get so many more cases, you see more severe cases simply because of numbers."
Last year, 60.5 per cent of those aged 65 or over were vaccinated while 32.3 per cent of people between the ages of 50 and 65 had been immunised.
Vaccines medical director of vaccine maker CSL Seqirus, Jules Bayliss, told Channel 7 it's the over 50s who are the most vulnerable.
"They are at greater risk of disease and they're also at risk of not responding as well to vaccination."
Griffin encouraged people to speak to GPs and pharmacists for up-to-date health advice for this year's flu season.
"People who are unwell should stay home, for example, and those who are vulnerable, or really ill, should also tested and get antivirals," he said.
"If we get that right, not matter what the season brings, we'll see a less severe impact from it."
The flu vaccines are available now with April and May regarded as the ideal window to get protection before the worst of the flu season.
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