The region's public health director is urging those with flu symptoms to stay away from aged care facilities after a series of influenza outbreaks this year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Six aged care facilities in the Illawarra - and one health facility - have recorded outbreaks since January 1.
Meanwhile overall flu notifications across the region have doubled compared to the same period last year.
So far this year there's been 186 confirmed flu cases until March 19, while there was 91 cases throughout January, February and the entire month of March in 2018.
Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District public health director Curtis Gregory said several factors were contributing to the high level of unseasonal flu cases.
"It may be due to the late influenza season across northern NSW, or the fact that people travelling home from overseas are bringing flu home with them," he said.
The public health unit is working with the aged care facilities to control the outbreaks - by treating those with the flu, and minimising their exposure to others.
"Our main aim is to help these facilities manage the outbreaks - which in some cases have affected two or three residents and in others up to a dozen residents," Mr Gregory said.
"We develop a 'line list' which includes patients' details, their symptoms, onset date and so on, which helps us monitor the outbreaks and target our responses to them.
"We minimise patients' movements with their co-operation - and in really significant outbreaks we recommend 'cohorting' which is where all those with the flu are moved into a particular area or wing to stop the spread of infection.
"The quicker we can manage the outbreaks, the less likely it is other people will be exposed and the severity of the symptoms in those affected will be reduced."
Mr Gregory stressed the need for anyone with flu symptoms to put off any visits to an aged care facility until they were well.
"The elderly are a very vulnerable population - they pick up things quicker and they're much more frail so the outcomes can be quite severe," he said.
Meantime the elevated figures didn't necessarily mean the main 2019 flu season - from July to September - would be severe.
"The numbers were quite elevated from January to March last year but that didn't follow through to a big flu season, so elevated numbers now are no real indication of what type of flu season we will have this year," he said.
"It is a reminder to take precautions now - to get your flu shot, to cough into your elbow and use good hand hygiene and to stay away from work if you're sick."
Publicly funded vaccines for high risk people for the 2019 season are available from mid-April.