Flu deaths nearly doubled in 2024: How Australia can improve flu safety in 2025

2024 saw 364,894 flu cases, a 26% increase from the 288,956 cases reported in 2023. This sharp rise has reignited concerns about flu preparedness and the effectiveness of public health measures.

Between January and August 2024, there were 810 deaths linked to influenza, nearly double the 416 deaths recorded over the same period in 2023.

The flu season peaked in July, with 208 deaths, compared to 112 in July 2023. These figures emphasise the flu’s deadly potential, particularly for high-risk groups such as the elderly, young children, those with chronic illnesses and First Nations peoples.

The start of 2025 has already set a worrying precedent, with 13,590 flu cases recorded in January - a 40% increase from the same period in 2024 (9,706). This marks the highest number of January flu cases in eight years. If this early surge is any indication, Australia may be on track for another severe flu season.  

With the biggest drops recorded in: 

• Western Australia (down 15.3%) 
• New South Wales (down 4.9%) 
• Victoria (down 4.9%) 
• Queensland (down 4.6%) 

Children aged five to fifteen years were among the least likely to be vaccinated. 

Vaccination is one of the most affordable and effective public health measures to protect the population against major infectious diseases.  

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are a priority population for Australia’s immunisation programs due to historically lower vaccination coverage and higher rates of vaccine preventable diseases. 

Public bathroom environments offer a unique and impactful setting for health messaging, allowing individuals to engage with important information at the precise moment their behaviour takes place.

Unlike many other OOH formats, bathroom advertising ensures that winter wellness messages reach the right audience at the most relevant moment, when health and hygiene decisions matter most.

The bathroom environment is a 'locus of risk' space, making it a crucial setting for health messaging. As a confined space, it naturally reinforces the importance of safe distancing and hand hygiene, serving as a timely reminder for shoppers, patrons, students, travellers etc. Additionally, the immediate access to handwashing facilities encourages direct action, reinforcing behaviour change. Beyond hygiene, the private nature of the space offers a moment of contemplation, making it an ideal setting to promote proactive health measures like vaccination.

High-traffic social spaces like pubs, bars, shopping centres, airports, and universities capture people in a relaxed state, often unaware of hygiene risks. This strategic placement reinforces critical health reminders precisely when they are needed.

The Winter Wellness campaign in the Nepean Blue Mountains PHN used varying creatives, including an adaptation for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders.

To learn more about how Convenience Advertising can supercharge the effectiveness of your OOH and broader advertising strategy, get in touch. 

*www.immunisationcoalition.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MAIN-Aust-Flu-Stats-worksheet-2025.xlsx-4.pdf