Australia is having a particularly bad flu season this year, which could have a knock-on effect on the US, Canada and Europe, according to a recent report by news agency CNN1.
Considering that vaccinations and immunisations may be included alongside a range of wellbeing services in many disability insurance packages, employers would be well advised to check out what they’ve got and make full use.
Almost 2.5 times more flu infections than in the same period last year were reported in Australian Government data. A total of 52 deaths associated with influenza have been reported in the country this year, compared with 27 as of this same time last year. There have also been more flu-related hospitalisations this year: 1,429 versus 719 in last year’s report.
What does this mean for the Northern Hemisphere nations? According to Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the United States’ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, quoted in the CNN report: “In general, we get in our season what the Southern Hemisphere got in the season immediately preceding us.”
1 http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/03/health/australia-bad-flu-season/index.html
