Health authorities are gearing up for the first real influenza season in three years, with experts particularly worried about the impact on young children.
Infectious disease physicians expect the flu to spike after Australia reopens its international borders to visa holders and fully vaccinated travellers on February 21.
Public health directives introduced during the coronavirus pandemic have meant the usual winter flu season has been almost non-existent for the past two years.
University of Sydney infectious disease expert Robert Booy has predicted Australia will have a "moderate flu season as a minimum" in 2022, triggering concerns about the risk to children.
"Not only have we had two years without flu in the winter, we also had a low vaccine uptake rate in children last year against the flu, so the amount of protection out there in the community is a lot less," Dr Booy said.
As Queensland Health continues to encourage parents to get their five- to 11-year-olds vaccinated against COVID-19, Dr Booy said it was also important for children and pregnant women to get the flu jab.
Flu vaccination is recommended for children from six months old, with this year's flu shot expected to be available from mid-April.
Vaccine 'exhaustion' a concern
Queensland Children's Hospital infectious disease physician Julia Clark said she was particularly concerned about flu in babies under six months old, who were too young to be vaccinated.
"It's very much a message that flu vaccine … is advised for pregnant mums, because then you will get antibody transfer from mum to baby for the first few months of life and it's protective of the mums who are also quite at risk of flu," Dr Clark said.
"If there's a lot of flu around and young children haven't had the benefit of any antibodies from mum to child in the under-six months old [group], there is a risk the flu season may be more significant for children in that group."
With Queensland only just having reached the benchmark of 90 per cent of residents aged 16 and older double-dosed for COVID-19, vaccine exhaustion has been raised as a concern as Australia heads into winter, when flu shots are recommended.
"If there is a lot of flu around, the more people who are vaccinated, the less severe disease we will see," Dr Clark said.
"If you've just had a COVID vaccine recently, you may have some exhaustion as to going to get yet another one for flu.
'Relieve the burden' on health systems
Mater Health director of infectious diseases Paul Griffin said it was important to get as many people as possible vaccinated against the flu this year to "relieve the burden on our health care systems, on our population, on aged care".
"We are perhaps the most susceptible population for 100 years for the flu at the moment," Dr Griffin said.
"That's why I think it's important to get the message out there that we do need to get people vaccinated for that as well this year.
Dr Griffin, also an associate professor at the University of Queensland, said hospitals were bracing for the possibility of having to deal with twin COVID-19 and flu outbreaks.
"We were stretched almost every year with an increased burden of influenza, so even if we have a slightly better flu year than what we've previously had, you add a little bit of COVID to that and we are going to be seeing things at capacity again, potentially," he said.
"In terms of preparedness, I would really hope that there's not a sense that the worst is over."
Maddie Lozano, who has a two-year-old son, Asa Paterson, said that with so much talk about COVID-19 she was less worried about the flu.
"I guess COVID is so everywhere, that's all you are worried about getting at the moment," she said.
But she said she would "probably" get the flu shot this year "now that you've prompted me".
"I hadn't actually thought about it," Ms Lozano said.
Mother of two Kristy Mclean said she was "definitely" pro-vaccination.
"I think that exposing kids to certain colds and flu might potentially make them a bit stronger — maybe they'll be a little bit more robust."
Dr Clark urged Queenslanders to continue to socially distance, get vaccinated, practise hand hygiene, stay at home when sick and wear masks to protect against COVID-19, the flu and other respiratory viruses.
