Influenza vaccinations recommended as cases of respiratory illness rise across Australia

Since April there have been 518 hospital admissions of people with confirmed influenza across Australia, of which 37 were admitted directly to intensive care. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

A range of respiratory illnesses are on the rise in Australia as the colder weather hits, with the number of laboratory-confirmed influenza in particular steeply increasing.

The latest Australian influenza surveillance report shows that in the fortnight to 28 May almost all jurisdictions saw a rise in respiratory illnesses. Of the 57,816 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza reported to the government this year, 30% were recorded in the latest fortnightly reporting period. The proportion of people taking time off work also increased, the report said.