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Influenza (more commonly known as ‘the flu’) is different to the common cold. Influenza is a highly contagious disease, caused by a virus that can be spread through people talking, coughing and sneezing. Symptoms include sudden fever, dry cough, muscle aches and pains, fatigue, headache, sore throat and a stuffy or runny nose. You can read more about influenza in our fact sheet.
This winter, more than 80,000 people across Australia will seek medical attention as a result of influenza. A further 15,000 will require hospitalisation and some will even die.
From 2004 to 2008, there was an average of 2,465 cases of influenza notified to Queensland Health each year. In 2009, there were 18,336 cases notified with the large increase being due to Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (read more about pandemic influenza).
Influenza can lead to severe complications, including pneumonia and death. Over 2,500 Australians are estimated to die each year from complications caused by influenza. People most at risk of developing life threatening complications from influenza are the elderly, pregnant women, young children, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and people with suppressed immune systems.
For young children and the elderly, influenza is one of the most common causes of hospitalisation for vaccine preventable diseases in Queensland.
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