CANBERRA – Australia has reported a 100-fold increase in influenza cases over the first two months of the year.

According to Department of Health data, there were 8,453 confirmed flu cases in the first two months of 2023 – up from 79 in the same period in 2022.

Among the cases, 2,700 were children aged under 14, accounting for nearly one-third of the total cases.

The spike has been attributed to an increase in international travel, with people returning from holidays in the northern hemisphere.

There were more than 220,000 flu cases in Australia in 2022 and 308 deaths, both the highest figures since 2019 after Covid-19 restrictions drove cases down in 2020 and 2021.

More than half of the cases hospitalised for treatment in 2022 were younger than 16.

In order to protect the health system from a “double blow” of a spike in flu and coronavirus cases, some state governments in 2022 made influenza vaccinations free for people, but have not announced plans to repeat the scheme.

Dr Bruce Willett, vice-president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, said that when flu vaccines become available from mid-March, every Australian should consider inoculation.

“While flu has a strong seasonal bent – it tends to be a late winter thing – of course, it does occur all year round,” he was quoted as saying by Nine Entertainment newspapers on Thursday.

“It can be a significant illness for under-fives and even life-threatening.” XINHUA