A recent NSW Health report has indicated an earlier than normal start to the flu season, with an above average number of people presenting to NSW emergency departments with flu-like-symptoms and pneumonia in recent weeks.
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The Illawarra Shoalhaven has been identified in the report as a “statistically significant location” based on the data collected from 60 hospitals across NSW.
There were 563 confirmed cases of influenza in the Illawarra Shoalhaven in July 2017, four times the number in July 2016, when only 138 cases were confirmed.
Across NSW, presentations were significantly elevated in younger children and older age groups.
For the week ending July 23 a total of 23 people visited emergency departments with flu-like-illness and a total of 433 were admitted for all respiratory illness, fever and unspecified infections behind the Hunter/New England (1,043), South Western Sydney (974), Western Sydney (916), Northern Sydney (626) and Sydney (515).
Emergency department presentations for pneumonia increased and were above the usual range for this time of year, particularly in people aged 65 years and older.
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