CHILDREN aged five and under and adults over 65 are being hospitalised due to influenza at an increasing rate, according to the Australian Health Protection Committee.
AHPC has raised concerns that 77 per cent of children aged six months to five years of age have not received an influenza vaccination, while a higher proportion of influenza B infections are being recorded in school-aged children than last year.
Children aged up to four, as well as five to nine and 10 to 14 years are affected by flu at a higher rate than any other age group, per the National Communicable Disease Surveillance Dashboard.
According to AHPC data, 40 per cent of adults aged 65 and over also have not received a flu vaccination this year.
Marraboor Pharmacy pharmacist Zoe Lazarou said vaccinations are the best prevention method against the flu, with appointments available online.
“Keep up your basic hygiene methods like washing your hands and coughing and sneezing into your arm, and stay away from other people if you are sick,” she said.
“If you think that you have been exposed to the flu or have some symptoms, we now have rapid tests for flu, COVID-19 and RSV in one panel available instore.”
Staying hydrated with regular sips of water, getting plenty of rest and treating flu symptoms with ibuprofen and paracetamol are recommend in the Australian Centre for Disease Control.
Mrs Lazarou recommends seeking medical attention from a GP if the symptoms get worse.
“Flus are very individual, but if you’re concerned about your symptoms I encourage seeking medical advice,” she said.
If a GP is unavailable or you’re just seeking advice, you can talk to a registered nurse for free at Nurse-On-Call on 1800 60 60 24.
In an emergency, call 000.
