The Metro South Health region that covers the City of Logan is leading the state with the number of influenza cases, as experts urge residents to get vaccinated.
There have been more than 50,000 recorded cases of influenza this year, with more than 13,000 coming from the Metro South region.
Metro South Health is the major provider of public health services for the Logan, Brisbane south side, Redlands and Scenic Rim regions.
It isn’t the largest of the 16 public health providers in the state – that title belongs to Metro North – but it is consistently recording the largest amount of flu cases.
In the two-week period between 3 and 16 July, Metro South led the state with more than 1800 recorded flu cases (109 of which resulted in hospital admissions).
In the same period, Metro North recording over 1300 cases (with 106 hospital admissions) – placing second.
A Metro South public health physician, Dr Mark Stickley, said Metro South covered more than one million people – 23 per cent of Queensland’s population.
He said that although the number could vary from year to year, flu cases often peaked in July and August.
“We saw early starts to the flu season in 2022 and 2023, there have been many more cases in these years than seen in 2020 and 2021 when COVID-19 restrictions were in place,” he said.
“There have been more than 13,000 flu notifications in Metro South this year to date compared with just over 9700 for the same time last year.”
Mr Stickley said the flu spread easily.
“… so if you’re sick, don’t go to school or uni, don’t go to work – stay home, and be sure to wash your hands regularly and cough into a tissue,” he said.
“Everything we learned about stopping the spread of COVID-19 is very relevant to preventing the spread of influenza, so people need to remain vigilant with their hand hygiene practices.”
He said it was import for Logan residents to get vaccinated, which is free (funded by the government) to Queenslanders aged six months and over.
“The vaccine provides protection against influenza A and B, and it’s especially important for children, those over 65 years, vulnerable Queenslanders, and pregnant women to be vaccinated,” he said.
“Everyone is encouraged to take advantage of the free vaccination as the best protection against the flu for themselves and their community.
“Pharmacies and GPs will be offering free flu vaccinations until 31 August 2023.”
