Influenza Activity Surveillance & Graph 2024
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This report provides a summary of influenza surveillance data collected from around Australia and New Zealand. Regional reporting in some areas ceases when influenza activity is low (out of season). Please note that many people do not get tested for influenza and that there may also be some delays in reporting confirmed influenza cases.
Therefore data presented here may be underestimating influenza activity.
National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS)
Update for 21 October 2024
It is important to note that data reported from the various influenza surveillance systems may not represent an accurate reflection of influenza activity. There may be some delays in the reporting systems. Also, many who become unwell with influenza-like symptoms do not present to their doctor and are not tested for influenza.
Results should be interpreted with caution.
National notification data (NNDSS):
There have been 349,728 notifications of laboratory confirmed influenza reported to the NNDSS in the year to 21 October 2024.
Total notifications from each state and territory are as follows:
| ACT | 4,653 |
| NSW | 156,742 |
| NT | 3,207 |
| QLD | 76,965 |
| SA | 21,260 |
| TAS | 3,766 |
| VIC | 67,341 |
| WA | 15,794 |
For more national data: National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS)
Australian Influenza Surveillance Report
https://nindss.health.gov.au/pbi-dashboard/
National Vaccination Coverage Rates
Influenza vaccination is recommended for all Australians aged 6 months and older. Flu vaccination reporting to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) is mandatory allowing coverage rates to be monitored.
NCIRS has commenced reporting of influenza vaccination coverage for the 2024 influenza season, which will continue until the end of August.
For more information visit NCIRS here
Australian Capital Territory
Reporting period Friday 4 October 2024 to Thursday 10 October 2024 inclusive
Total influenza cases:
- Current reporting period: 32
- 2024 total: 4,583
- Rate per 100,000 for reporting period: 6.8
New South Wales
Weekly influenza information is available in the COVID-19 weekly surveillance report.
Week ending 12 October 2024
Note that many people with influenza in the community do not get tested for influenza, and that there may be delays in the reporting of confirmed influenza cases. Therefore data presented here may tend to under-represent current influenza activity in NSW.
Summary:
- Influenza is at a low level of activity.
- In the past week there was a decrease of 39.39% in influenza notifications.
For more information: NSW Health – Respiratory Surveillance Reports
Queensland
Reporting Period: 1 January – 13 October 2024
Total influenza cases YTD (1 Jan – 13 October 2024): 76,486
- 75,306 (98%) were type A only and 1,124 (1%) were type B.
- 9,560 (12%) were aged less than 5 years including 484 (<1%) aged less than 6 months while 9,801 (13%) were aged 65 years and over.
- 6,658 (9%) were admitted to hospital, 2,752 (41%) of these were aged 65 years and older.
South Australia
Update for the week ending at 12 October 2024
Count of influenza notifications in the week ending 12 October 2024: 206
For more information: Communicable Diseases Control Branch
Tasmania
Week ending 13 October 2024
Summary
- Influenza activity is currently low but increasing, indicating that the season has not concluded yet.
Influenza notifications for week ending 13 October: 64
Influenza rate*: 11.2
* Notification rate per 100,000 population.
For more information: https://www.health.tas.gov.au/publications/respiratory-surveillance-report
Victoria
21 October 2024
Victoria, local public health areas and local government areas surveillance summary report
Total influenza cases (YTD): 67,423
For more information: Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory or Victorian State Health Department
Western Australia
Week ending 13 October 2024
Influenza and Influenza-like Illnesses (ILI) Summary:
- In the past week the number of influenza cases notified to the Department of Health decreased by 31% to 249 cases but remained just above the seasonal threshold.
- In the year to date, the number of influenza notifications and hospitalisations were higher than the previous five-year average, while the number of deaths* was lower. Thirty-six percent of notifications were in those aged less than 15 years.
- The number of influenza cases reported as hospitalised in the past week decreased in adults and children.
For more information: WA Virus WAtch
Australian Sentinel Practices Research Network (ASPREN), FluTracking and New Zealand
Update for 9th September- 22nd September 2024
ASPREN is a national syndromic surveillance program co-ordinated by the Discipline of General Practice at the University of Adelaide and The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. One of the conditions under surveillance is influenza like illness (ILI). General practitioners participating in the ASPREN program contribute data on the proportion of consultations which are ILI related.
NATIONAL SUMMARY
Influenza-like-illness levels are decreasing.
13 Cases of influenza have been detected in this reporting period:
- 11 x Influenza A
- 2 x Influenza B
10% Influenza positivity during the reporting period.
373 Cases of influenza have been detected this year:
- 359 x Influenza A
- 14 x Influenza B
SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE REPORTING
Reports were received from 324 reporters from 8 states and territories during the reporting period. During weeks 37 and 38 reporters saw a total of 48,287 patients.
INFLUENZA-LIKE-ILLNESS (ILI)
Nationally, ILI notifications decreased during the period with 381 notifications being reported in weeks 37—38. ILI rates reported in this period were 8 cases per 1000 consultations (weighted). This was lower than the previous fortnight where rates were 10 cases per 1000 consultations in weeks 35 and 36. For the same reporting period in 2023, ILI rates were lower at 4 cases per 1000 consultations for weeks 37 and 38.
FluTracking
FluTracking is an online health surveillance system which aims to detect epidemics of influenza. It is a joint initiative of The University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Area Health Service (NSW Health) and Hunter Medical Research Institute. Participation is voluntary and involves the completion of a weekly online survey during the influenza season. Data are collected on basic demographics, symptoms of ILI and absenteeism.
Reporting week Monday 07 October 2024- Sunday 13 October 2024
(Data used in this report received up to 09:00 AM, Thursday 17 October)
Summary:
- Respiratory illness levels have decreased this week
- 48,517 participants this week
Respiratory illness activity* (age standardised):
*Respiratory illness activity is defined as fever & cough for this report
1.1% this week and 1.3% last week
Respiratory illness activity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants:
0% this week and 1.1% last week
Respiratory illness severity:
29% of participants with fever and cough sought medical advice this week.
New Zealand
Week ending 13 October 2024
Summary
In the week ending 13 October the national rate of ILI-related calls to Healthline decreased and is slightly lower than this time in 2023.
Healthline call rates are highest among young children (0–4 years). Influenza detections in community and hospital settings are now at low inter-seasonal levels.
Two acute respiratory illness outbreaks were reported in the week ending 13 October. The outbreaks were in aged residential care (ARC) facilities in Capital and Coast (influenza A detected) and Waitematādistricts.
In the week ending 13 October, the all-cause Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) hospitalisation rate in the Auckland region decreased and remains in the low activity range.
Respiratory viruses continue to be detected at low levels.
Rhinovirus and human metapneumovirus have been most frequently detected. The influenza-positive SARI hospitalisation rate remains below the baseline seasonal threshold.
RSV-positive SARI admissions remain low. The SARS-CoV-2-positive SARI hospitalisation rate is similar to the same time in 2023. This does not necessarily reflect the trend in all COVID-19 related hospital admissions monitored by Health New Zealand, as different definitions for admission are used: https://tewhatuora.shinyapps.io/covid19/
Note that the results presented are based on data available as at 17 October 2024.
ASPREN: For more information: ASPREN
Flu Tracking: For more information, or to enroll: Flu Tracking
New Zealand reporting: For more information see here