There has been a spike in the number of cases of influenza in Queanbeyan, with double the number reported in the area in the past week.
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Of the 50 cases reported to Southern NSW Local Health District, 17 were from Queanbeyan.
This comes as whooping cough notifications reach 23 in Queanbeyan for the year.
One Queanbeyan school reported two cases of the whooping cough infection in students, warning parents to be aware.
A Southern NSW Local Health District spokesperson said the whole district had 106 whooping cough notifications this year, compared with 159 in the same period in 2015 and 144 in 2014.
“Most notifications are in children aged 14 years and under,” the spokesperson said.
“The number of notifications this year are average to low compared to the past five years.”
The spokesperson said the more interesting situation in the region is with influenza.
“In the last week, there has been a doubling of influenza notifications received at the public health unit with 17 out of 50 for Southern NSW Local Health District being from Queanbeyan,” the spokesperson said.
According to the fact sheet on the flu, the virus is mainly spread through sneezing.
“People with influenza can be infectious from the day before their symptoms start.
“Adults are most infectious in the first three to five days of their illness, while children remain infectious for seven to 10 days, and people with weakened immune systems may be infectious for longer.”
To help prevent the flu, NSW Health recommends covering your face when you cough or sneeze, washing hands thoroughly and often, staying home until you’re well and calling ahead to see a doctor to prevent cross-contamination with other patients.
Whooping cough is spread in a similar way, and can be life threatening to young babies or the elderly.
Cases of the flu and whooping cough must be reported to the public health unit, which then notifies certain areas of the community who need to respond.
The flu and whooping cough can help be prevented through vaccinations.