Parents are being urged to get their children vaccinated with a significant increase of influenza cases in children.
The call for more vaccinations follows the death of an 11-year-old Sunshine Coast girl died from influenza this week.
The Queensland girl is the second young person two pass away after contracting the virus after a NSW student died on the Central Coast.
Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The QLD Briefing – keeping you in the loop with the region’s breaking news as it hits.
So far, there have been a whopping 152,000 confirmed influenza cases in 2023.
Deputy director of the World Health Organisation Professor Ian Bar told The Guardian that children are more susceptible to the latest influenza viruses.
“The viruses which are circulating this year are influenza A(H1N1) and B viruses – both of these viruses affect children more than the elderly,” he said.
“We haven’t seen the B viruses around much for the last two years.”
Of the confirmed 152,000 cases, over 69,000 are believed to be children under the age of 14.
Queensland has recorded a total of 48,342 cases including both adults and children while NSW has reported 53,343 cases.
Subscribe to The Briefing, Australia’s fastest-growing news podcast on Listnr today. The Briefing serves up the latest news headlines and a deep dive into a topic affecting you. All in under 20 minutes.