By Laura Michell
More than 500 Brimbank residents have been diagnosed with the flu so far this year.
The Local Government Areas Surveillance Report of the Department of Health and Human Services reveals that as of June 20, 534 people in Brimbank had presented with the flu. The report says 366 people from Brimbank were diagnosed in 2018.
Statewide, 18,500 people have been diagnosed with the flu this year.
Western Health said the flu season had arrived earlier than usual, with an increased number of people a day presenting to Sunshine Hospital’s emergency department with flu-like symptoms since the start of June.
The last bad flu year was in 2017, when 35 people a day presented to Sunshine’s emergency department. September is considered peak flu season.
The hospital has recorded an increase in the number of children being treated, with many needing to be transferred to the Royal Children’s Hospital for treatment of severe illnesses.
BAD START: ‘Unusual’ flu season on the cards
Deer Park’s IPC Health has recorded an increase in the number of people receiving flu vaccinations, as well as a rise in the number of people being diagnosed early in the season.
The latest figures come as Health Minister Jenny Mikakos warned people to stay home from school or work if they were suffering from the flu.
“This is how the flu is spreading across the community,” she said. “It’s really important that people take heed of those simple precautions.”
Ms Mikakos said there were nine times more confirmed flu cases in Victoria this year than the same time last year. To date, 31 people, including three children have died from the flu this year.
