More than 20 people in Canberra have been hospitalised with the flu in the past three months, as health experts warn the ACT is bracing for its most intensive period for the potential spread of the virus.
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ACT Health data reveals there were 189 flu admissions to Canberra hospitals between April and October last year, with 17 per cent of those patients directly admitted to intensive care.
Flu notifications last year surged 128 per cent on the previous year when there were 1254 notifications.
Although health officials in Canberra are not expecting this year's flu season to be worse than 2014, they have warned of the importance of people being aware of the potential for the virus to spread.
ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Paul Kelly said the figures around hospital admissions for the flu showed it could be a very serious illness.
He said it was not too late for Canberrans to be vaccinated against the flu, which was the "single most effective" measure to prevent the spread of the virus.
Statistics released by the Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) on Wednesday showed flu cases in the ACT had nearly doubled on last year, with 229 people recorded as having the flu so far this year, up from 124 in the same period last year.
EMF spokesman Dr Anthony Bell said Australia's flu season traditionally peaked in August but statistics showed cases across the country were already 60 per cent higher than last year.
Dr Kelly said the virus could survive for more than eight hours on hard surfaces such as lift buttons, light switches, telephones and supermarket trolley handles.
To avoid the spread of colds and flu, people should stay home if sick, cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing, and wash their hands.
