In 2017 not only were there over 250,000 cases of laboratory-confirmed flu but also 1,100 Australians died from influenza complications. And the flu does not discriminate – it affects people of all ages, and infections among the elderly are more likely to require hospitalisation or cause serious complications such as pneumonia and heart attacks.
Professor Robert Booy, Director of the Immunisation Coalition explains how contagious the influenza virus can be, how long the virus lasts and what can be done to prevent infection.