Flu in the ACT

ACT Health conducts surveillance for laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza in the ACT.

From Friday 26 May 2023, ACT Health provides combined COVID-19, flu and RSV reporting.

This information is published weekly on Fridays on the ACT COVID-19 website. This reporting provides Canberrans with key information for COVID, flu, and RSV numbers in the ACT.

For more information and to view the latest reports, please visit the ACT COVID-19 website.

ACT Health conducts surveillance for laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza in the ACT. Each influenza season (approximately June/July to Sept/Oct), the Disease Surveillance Unit regularly prepares an influenza report which includes current data on influenza notifications in the ACT.

Notification data only include cases of influenza among ACT residents that have been confirmed by a laboratory test. Generally, notification data represent only a small proportion of cases of influenza occurring in the community. All data are preliminary and subject to change as updates are received.

 2022 ACT Influenza Reports

2017 ACT Influenza Reports 

2017 ACT Influenza Reports 

In the ACT, the 2017 influenza season was larger and more sustained than any influenza season in the previous five years.

The season peaked twice, first due to influenza A (presumably A/H3) activity and subsequently due to influenza B activity. The increase in influenza notifications in 2017 may be associated with an earlier season onset, increased health-seeking behaviour, increased laboratory testing and the increased use of rapid tests. 

Despite high activity, the clinical severity of influenza cases in the ACT was similar to previous years. Although there was increased influenza activity in the community, outbreaks of influenza-like illness (ILI) in ACT Aged Care Facilities (ACFs) were similar in 2017 compared to 2016, in terms of both the overall number of outbreaks reported as well as the number of residents affected

2016 ACT Influenza Reports

2016 ACT Influenza Reports

Summary: The number of influenza cases being reported to ACT Health has largely returned to background levels. Of the 1,554 cases notified year to date, only 1.8% (n=28) occurred in the last fortnight. The majority of notifications during 2016 were influenza A (90.3%). Notifications have been highest in adults aged 30-49 years and children aged 0-9 years old. This is the final report for 2016.

The Australian Influenza Report is compiled from a number of data sources, which are used to monitor influenza activity and severity in the community. These data sources include laboratory-confirmed notifications to NNDSS, influenza associated hospitalisations, sentinel influenza-like illness (ILI) reporting from general practitioners and emergency departments, ILI-related call centre calls and community level surveys and sentinel laboratory testing results.

Page last updated on: 26 May 2023