There have been almost 6600 confirmed flu cases in Queensland this year, with hundreds of people being treated in hospital, about 50 admitted to intensive care and one aged care facility dealing with a flu outbreak.
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The number of confirmed flu cases in 2019 so far was almost three times the five-year average and people have been urged to get vaccinated.
So far this year, Queensland Health has received 6525 notifications of lab-confirmed flu, up from 3318 at the same time last year.
Health Minister Steven Miles said the surge in cases was an "indicator of how many flu cases we might see through the winter".
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young urged people to prepare for winter, including getting a flu shot when they became available from mid-April.
"We never know how serious a flu season is going to be so the best thing is to be absolutely prepared," she said.
Dr Young said health authorities did not know why there had been so many flu cases this year.
The majority of cases in 2019 have been influenza A, which is a more severe strain, she said.
"There are strains that we've seen before and the flu vaccine has had some changes to it, it's got a different flu A strain in there and a different flu B compared to last year's vaccination, we'll just have to wait and see what strains are circulating as to whether or not there's a good match there," she said.
Dr Young said flu shots were free for children aged six months to five years old, people older than 65, Indigenous people and pregnant women.
"Flu season in Queensland is typically from June to September, with the peak usually in August," she said.
"It's also important for the public to be aware that the vaccine isn't immediately effective – it generally takes 10 to 14 days to be fully protected after vaccination."
It comes after all south-east Queensland hospitals went into "code yellow" last week, with authorities blaming a surge in summer flu cases, and people urged to stay away from emergency departments if possible.
Dr Young said Queensland Health brought its "flu strategy" forward, and there were about 30 extra hospital beds available at the Mater hospitals in Brisbane, Springfield and Redland.
Health Minister Steven Miles said south-east Queensland hospitals had not declared a code yellow since last week's crush, but Bundaberg was briefly on a code yellow as a result of a Telstra communication issue.
