Australia had its worst flu season on record. Is it a warning for Canada?

globalnews.ca:

influenza season, experts warn that Australia’s record-breaking flu outbreak may offer a troubling glimpse of what might come.The latest data from Australia’s National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System shows the country recorded 352,532 laboratory-confirmed flu cases this year, eclipsing the previous high of 313,615 cases in 2019.Flu vaccination rates in Australia have also steadily declined, with national data revealing a consistent drop over the past two years.“It’s a cautionary tale. People forgot to get their vaccines, the vaccination rate was too low and this led to an increase in the number of cases,” Dr.

Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Disease Centre, told Global News Edmonton on Wednesday.“Deaths with influenza were up across the board for every age group. And a 15-per cent reduction in vaccination rates led to an increase in cases and an increase in mortality,” he said.Seasonal influenza typically circulates during the winter months, with Australia’s flu season running from their winter of May to October, while in Canada, it spans from October to May.In Australia, the dominant flu strain this season was the A(H3N2) virus, a subtype of influenza A known for causing more severe illness, particularly among older adults, young children and people with weakened immune systems.In Canada, the country’s weekly flu watch data says it is too early in the season to confirm which strain is the dominant one, but influenza A(H1N1) remains the most commonly-detected strain.