The flu season has started early, and more needs to be done to protect the community says Labor's health spokesman Ryan Park.
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The Keira MP said data from NSW Health showed influenza activity was at record high levels for January.
Activity was highest in the northern, western and south-eastern Sydney local health districts, which saw 181, 124 and 105 cases respectively in the week ending February 2.
In the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District there were 25 notified cases in that week.
Mr Park said the unusually high figures coincided with increased presentations for respiratory issues across the state's emergency departments. He called on the NSW Government to do more to warn people of the dangers.
"We need the government to urgently launch a public health campaign making sure people are aware that the flu season has already commenced, highlighting the importance of vaccination and making sure there is a clear focus on preventative measures," he said.
Mr Park said he was also concerned that the region's hospitals would be further strained with another horror flu season like 2019.
"Given the enormous amount of pressure on emergency departments across the region, especially Wollongong, I am really concerned about the upcoming flu season given we have seen a very high level of presentations already," he said.
"It's absolutely critical that the government don't wait until winter is upon us before they take action. Our local hospitals are already under enormous strain and this will only get worse if we have another really difficult flu season."