The "largest flu outbreak" in years is sweeping Queensland, with experts warning this year could see the state struck down with the most cases recorded.
"I think it's clear this is worse than in previous years," public health physician professor Paul Van Buynder of Gold Coast Health said.
"I'm confident that this isn't just our biggest recorded year, but also the largest flu outbreak we've seen for quite some time."
Members of the non-profit Immunisation Coalition warned that with 71,256 lab confirmed cases nationally and 19,216 in Queensland, this year had the potential to set records.
In the week to August 13, 4147 flu cases were confirmed in Queensland. In the first week of August, 3624 cases were confirmed. Professor Van Buynder said there had never been more than 3500 confirmed cases in a week.
"It's a very dramatic rise of the last three weeks," Professor Van Buynder said.
"We're hoping we're at the peak, but it's possible next week we'll have even more."
The record number confirmed cases nationally is about 100,000. With 71,256 confirmed cases since January, the professor said he expected that record to be exceeded in the coming months.
"It looks like we will again get the greatest number of notified cases we've ever seen," he said.
Professor Van Buynder said the greatest number of notifications came from children aged from 10 to 19. Children are the "greatest spreaders" of the flu to friends, parents and grandparents.
"We've got a lot of transmission of the virus from younger people to the community," Professor Van Buynder said.
The number of cases in children was part of the reason there had been so many cases more broadly, the professor said, as the vaccination rate in children was low.
"Australia does not fund a childhood vaccination program … and accordingly our vaccination rate in children is less than 10 per cent."
Director of Respiratory Medicine at Melbourne Health, professor Lou Irving, said while most people would find it very difficult to go about their normal daily activities with the "full blown" flu, it was a self-limiting illness that should begin to improve after three to five days.
"The importance of this is if someone isn't improving it may be because they're developing possible complications," Professor Irving said.
Common complications include an increased risk of bacterial infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia.