Everything you need to know about the flu ahead of 'devastating' infection season

There have been more than 46,300 lab-confirmed flu cases in Australia so far in 2025, more than 50 per cent higher than the previous record of cases in Australia during the same period in 2024 (January - March).

NSW Royal Australian College of General Practitioners deputy chair Dr Max Mollenkopf said people die from seasonal flu.

Newcastle-based GP, Dr Mollenkopf, told ACM that people forget "how devastating the flu can be".

"The risk of a severe infection that leads to hospitalisation or even death is real, especially for vulnerable groups like children, patients with chronic conditions that compromise their immune systems like diabetes, and the elderly," he said.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) the number of people dying from flu has been steadily rising.

The ABS reported 1,002 deaths associated with the flu in 2024, which was the worst year on record for infections, both in absolute numbers and per person lab-confirmed cases.

That is more than the previous record for infections in 2019. That year, there were 953 deaths reported, but fewer than the 1,183 recorded deaths reported in 2017.

Why the increase in flu deaths? One of the main reasons is plummeting vaccination rates.

Dr Mollenkopf said Australia had been grappling with falling vaccination rates generally.

He cited the example of measles with Australia declared measles-free in 2014 with no ongoing transmission. But measles is now present in the community again in 2025.

"We're seeing more influenza and other preventable diseases as a result of low vaccination rates," he said.

Vaccine uptake among Australians has been lower than previous years ahead of the flu season.

Half a million fewer people were vaccinated for influenza in the space of a year, with official figures showing 8.8 million shots in 2024 compared to 9.3 million in 2023.

"We can't be complacent," Dr Mollenkoft said. "Viruses don't suffer from 'vaccine fatigue' - they thrive in it."

Most people recover from the flu within a few days, but some people are at greater risk of getting severely unwell from it.

The vaccine is free for some people.

These include children aged six months to five years, over-65s, patients who are pregnant, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those with underlying medical conditions.

Pharmacies could also deliver flu shots to people as young as five, depending on which state you're in.

Otherwise a GP is able to administer it.

It takes about two weeks after the vaccine for the body to build enough antibodies to protect against the flu, so health authorities recommend getting the jab as soon as possible.

Seasonal flu is usually caused by influenza A or B viruses but there are many subtypes and strains.