Elizabeth Binning writes in the New Zealand Herald about the spike in cold and flu cases in Auckland, despite what looks to be an early spring.
Healthcare providers are encouraging people to get vaccinated, particularly people at risk such as pregnant and very young people.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“However, despite the increase in temperatures many hospitals are close to capacity as the number of people with colds and flus starts to increase.
“In the Auckland region, laboratory notifications show a sharp increase in influenza cases over the past month, particularly in the past two weeks.
“Dr Cathy Pikholz, Medical Officer of Health for the Auckland Regional Public Health Service, said a lot more people were out there with flu who had not been seen.
“”We know these notifications are just the tip of the iceberg,” she said.”