Comparatively low numbers of respiratory viruses so far this year follows the worst influenza season in Australia on record in 2025, which saw more than 500,000 confirmed infections
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Australia began the year grappling with an unseasonably high rate of influenza infections, driven by a mutation of the H3N2 strain of the influenza A virus that emerged in 2025.
While no more severe than other strains, subclade K – which some dubbed “Super-K” because of its infectiousness and subsequent rapid spread – saw thousands of summer flu cases.