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posted by janrinok on Saturday September 07 2019, @12:53PM   Printer-friendly
from the coming-to-a-hemisphere-near-you? dept.

Worst flu Season on Record, Australia (emphasis in original):

According to statistics, the 2019 flu season is Australia's worst in recorded history with over 257,359 confirmed cases so far this year.

This record beat the previous one in 2017 with a total number of 251,163 influenza cases. Meanwhile, only 52,000 cases were confirmed in 2018.

"In terms of sheer numbers and the load on general practice and emergency departments, this is the worst flu season that's ever been," immunization expert Paul van Buynder said.

Local media has also reported 587 fatalities from influenza with a majority of elder people. On the contrary, only 73 died from the flu in 2018.

Australia capital Canberra confirmed 3,402 cases so far, which is worse than the total combined records from 2016 to 2018.

By point of comparison, the population of Australia is approximately 25 million people implying over 1.7% of the population came down with the flu.

Projecting from an estimated ~330 million people in the USA, that would mean over 5.7 million cases.


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Sunday September 08 2019, @03:13PM (2 children)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Sunday September 08 2019, @03:13PM (#891318)

    Shots, no shots... that 1.7% rate is suspect.

    I'm roughly 1/0.017 years old, and I certainly believe I, and everyone else my age, have caught the seasonal flu more than once...

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  • (Score: 2) by gawdonblue on Monday September 09 2019, @01:16PM (1 child)

    by gawdonblue (412) on Monday September 09 2019, @01:16PM (#891665)

    I've seen figures where the chance of getting the flu without a vax shot is ~1.5% and with shot ~1.0%, and a fatality rate ~0.1% of those infected.

    If so, is it worth vaccination for most people? These flu strains are not super killers like smallpox, tetanus or polio for which vaccinations are a no-brainer.

    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday September 09 2019, @03:17PM

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Monday September 09 2019, @03:17PM (#891701)

      And... of those 0.1% fatalities, I'd wager that you can pick out >80% of them by eye as "at risk" - elderly, immune compromised, etc.

      Sadly, those who need the flu risk reduction the most are also at highest risk for side effects from the vaccine...

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