After Australia had kept the corona virus at bay with strict measures for two years, the country is now experiencing a rapidly increasing flu epidemic.
According to the health authorities, the number of infections with the influenza virus is increasing rapidly due to the easing of the pandemic measures.
Some hospitals are seeing an increase in cases of more than 500 percent, a Victoria state official said.
The wave is not only particularly violent, but also sets in particularly early.
The cold season is just beginning in the southern hemisphere.
The hardest-hit states in the east of the country are now offering free flu shots.
Doctors see a reason for the wave in the lower flu immunity, after this had hardly occurred due to the distance and hygiene measures.
Young children who have never had any contact with the influenza virus in their lives are particularly at risk.
According to the Ministry of Health, Australia has recorded 38,000 flu infections this year.
Around 70 percent of this was detected in the two weeks before the end of the current investigation period on May 22nd.
Last year, on the other hand, from January to November there were only 598 cases detected in the laboratory.
Comparisons are now being made to the 2017 flu season, when more than 1,200 people died from infection in Australia.
Around six million Australians have been vaccinated against the flu so far this year, fewer than usual.
Doctors suspect a certain "vaccination fatigue" in the population.