Confirmed cases of the flu are up 20 per cent on last year in Victoria.
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The number was driven largely by the northern hemisphere’s bad season, with the flu circulating early as travellers returned to, or moved through, the state.
2017 saw the highest level of influenza activity since the 2009, according to the National Influenza Surveillance Committee.
So far in Victoria this year, there had been a total of 2208* cases confirmed in the laboratory, according to Department of Health and Human Services data up to 22 May.
It was 439 more confirmed cases than last year.
However, a department spokesperson said that notifications were currently tracking at around baseline levels.
“It is also worth pointing out that one of the reasons for slightly higher notifications this year is that there was flu circulating in Victoria earlier because of higher levels of influenza in the northern hemisphere,” the spokesperson said.
“That is, influenza is being diagnosed in returned travellers or being passed on by them once they return home."
In Bendigo’s local government area there had been 17 cases so far this year, compared to 12 at the same time last year.
Elsewhere in the Loddon Malleee region, the Macedon Ranges had 17 cases so far this year, up from 15.
In the Central Goldfields, Loddon, Buloke and Mount Alexander local government areas, confirmed flu cases were in the single digits.
In the Campaspe area, where a council service was postponed after running out of vaccine last week, six cases had been reported, compared to seven at the same time last year.
The Campaspe Shire Council hoped to restart vaccinations once stock, which was on back order, arrived at the end of the month.
Nationally, authorities were dealing with an unprecedented increase in demand for flu vaccine.
States and territories were reporting a 25-30 per cent increase in demand, compared to 2017.
That had impacted the availability of supplies, Australia’s acting chief medical officer Tony Hobbs said.
“It is positive that people have heard the message and are taking action to get vaccinated against influenza,” he said.
Dr Hobbs said record numbers of seasonal influenza vaccines had been brought into the country this year.
The nation’s chief medical officer had been tasked with bringing in as much vaccine into the country as possible.
* The department’s data related to notifications only and did not necessarily reflect true incidences of the disease.