THE number of cases of influenza reported to health authorities this year has risen to the highest number in the past 20 years.
Health Department figures show there have been 49 cases of the flu reported to medical practitioners and laboratories in Glenelg Shire this year, topping the previous record of 45 in 2017.
This year’s number could be much higher yet with the flu season in its early stages and running through to the end of September.
There were two reported cases on Monday, both women. As per previous years, women have generally substantially outnumbered men, with 31 confirmed cases this year so far compared to 18 men.
Of this year’s cases 47 are the type A flu (the more common strain, spread through many different species) and the remainder type B (found only in humans).