NSW health authorities are urging parents to get their kids vaccinated with the free flu shot after a child died from influenza.
The child was one of 19 admitted to Sydney's children's hospital between April 3 and July 8 with the flu, with only two of those infants fully vaccinated.
It was the first death of a child for the 2018 flu season, NSW Health said.
"This is an important reminder to parents who have not yet vaccinated their children that influenza can be life-threatening and it's not too late to vaccinate," Dr Kerry Chant, NSW Chief Health Officer, said in a statement on Friday.
Australians encouraged to get flu vaccination Source: AAP
News of the death comes as the authority predicts a slow start to this year's flu season in NSW, with 256 cases confirmed in the week ending July 8, compared with 6449 cases in the equivalent week in 2017.
