Australia’s flu season is hitting kids the hardest. What does this mean for Canada?

As Australia continues to navigate its influenza season, experts are warning about a surge in pediatric hospital visits caused by severe flu symptoms among children.

As Australia continues to navigate its influenza season, experts are warning about a surge in pediatric hospital visits caused by severe flu symptoms among children, signalling a cautionary forecast for Canada in the months ahead.

Since the flu season started in the southern hemisphere in late April, children have made up almost 75 per cent of those admitted to hospital, according to Australian health data.

“There’s a red flag waving at us right now, saying to be on the alert and to get protected,” said Dr. John Yaremko, a Montreal-based pediatrician.

So far, Australia’s flu season is not as bad as it was last year in terms of the number of cases, but what concerns Yaremko is the age group that is most affected.

Although the flu season typically tends to impact the most vulnerable people, such as infants, seniors, those who are immune-compromised or pregnant people, Yaremko said a “high proportion” of children being hospitalized are in the five to 10 age group.

Australian health data shows that since the flu season began, children aged five to nine have been the most impacted by the flu, followed by those under the age of five.

“There’s no question that the pediatric population has been affected,” Yaremko said. “And usually, influenza tends to be worse for kids under five, especially kids under two. And what they’ve seen this year is that the five- to 10-year-olds get quite sick and then are hospitalized.”

He said this is unusual as kids between five and 10 tend to “be healthy” and not have any underlying health conditions. Young children, particularly those under five, are the group most likely to be hospitalized with flu, he added.