Canberra, March 9 : Australia has reported a 100-fold increase in influenza cases through the first two months of the year, according to the Department of Health.

Department data has revealed that there were 8,453 confirmed influenza cases through the first two months of 2023 — up from only 79 in the same period in 2022, reports Xinhua news agency.

Among the cases, 2,700 were children under 14, accounting for nearly one-third of the total.