Chart of the day: Flu season is just getting started

Posted

We're now in the middle of winter, and with winter comes the flu.

But if you think reaching the half-way point means we'll be over the worst of it, we've got some bad news for you — the worst is likely to come.

Data from Flutracking — a survey run out of the University of Newcastle and backed by various Australian and New Zealand government health bodies — shows that in Australia on average, between 2012 and 2016, the peak of the flu season did not occur until August.

Last year, the incidence of fever, cough and absence from work among participants jumped from 1.6 per cent in late July to 2.7 per cent in late August, an increase of more than two thirds.

But it pales in comparison to the H1N1 pandemic of 2009, which peaked in early July and reached 3.3 per cent.

Flutracking is a voluntary online survey which asks participants about their personal cold and flu symptoms on a weekly basis. You can sign up at their website.

What should I read next?

Want more charts?

This is part of a new daily series featuring charts which tell a story. If you know of some data that fits the bill, we'd love to hear about it.

Topics: influenza, vaccines-and-immunity, australia