How flu overtook COVID as Australia’s deadliest respiratory virus
Recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicates that influenza has overtaken COVID-19 as the leading cause of respiratory virus deaths in Australia. While COVID-19 deaths continue to decline, influenza reached record-high mortality levels in 2025, highlighting a shift in the landscape of seasonal illnesses.
Why it matters
This shift challenges public health perceptions and underscores the need for continued vigilance and accurate data tracking for seasonal respiratory viruses beyond the pandemic era.
Wasana Kunpol/Getty Many Australians have stopped worrying about respiratory viruses. The pandemic has passed and attention has shifted. COVID no longer dominates the headlines, and influenza is often dismissed as a routine winter illness.
The article relies on official government statistical data and provides a neutral, evidence-based analysis of public health trends without emotive language.
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