How to avoid the flu this season

Reported cases of influenza are already high and doctors are warning it could be another big year of illness.

Luckily, there are ways to avoid the annual tradition of aching muscles, a pile of crumpled tissues and a patch of raw skin around the nose.

Australia's 2023 rates of influenza are high, racking up 14,424 laboratory confirmed cases already this year.

These figures are likely influenced by lower rates of immunity in the community and more regular testing, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) vice president Bruce Willett told ACM.

"We're much more testing conscious post-COVID," he said.

"But I think we're still seeing low rates of immunity due to a couple of years of lockdown, mask wearing and social distancing," he said.

During the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 flu cases decreased dramatically, but 2022 was one of the biggest years for influenza on record, Dr Willett said.

The flu brings fever, aches, pains, cough, runny nose and a sore throat and circulates through the community using droplets from coughing and sneezing.

Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) acting chief medical officer Dr Tom Connell told ACM that people were normally contagious a day before symptoms hit, and for the next four to seven days.

For most people, symptoms will last three to four days before resolving on their own - but some precautions can ensure flu season doesn't take too much of a toll.

"Far and away, the best prevention is influenza vaccination," Dr Connell said.

"We get a bit of a preview of the influenza season from the northern hemisphere, so we tailor the vaccine to what is circulating," he said.

The dominant influenza strains change every year, so Dr Connell recommends making an annual appointment with a GP to get the vaccine. Particularly for people eligible for a free vaccination.

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This includes children aged six months to five years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, pregnant women, those older than 65 and people with a medical condition that puts them at a higher risk of getting serious disease.

Anyone can get the flu vaccine, but those that don't meet the eligibility requirements for the free dose can pay a small fee. Some major chemists offer the vaccine for prices around the $20 mark.

The influenza vaccine can be co-administered with COVID-19 vaccines.

Particularly young children, pregnant women and people with chronic underlying medical conditions should consider an influenza vaccination every year because they're at a higher risk of developing severe disease, Dr Connell said.

RACGP vice president Dr Willett said that all the usual advice applies again this flu season. This includes regular hand washing, practicing social distancing and "staying at home when you're crook".

If rapid antigen tests show COVID-19 isn't present, wait out the influenza symptoms until they resolve.

"We'll probably see higher rates of flu this year, but probably not as bad as last year," Dr Willet said.