Over the past few months, Australians have been asking the same question: why does it feel like everyone is getting sick? From schools to workplaces to family gatherings, it seems almost impossible to go a week without hearing about someone battling the flu, Covid, or RSV. This year, the wave of illness has been real — and unusually relentless.
Health experts confirm it isn’t just perception. Influenza, Covid-19, RSV, and even the common cold have overlapped this year, creating a perfect storm of viral infections. The result: crowded GP clinics, longer hospital waits, and households where sickness seems to rotate from one family member to the next.
A Winter That Refused to End
Epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Bennett from Deakin University explained why this year has felt different. “The influenza season peaked later and lasted longer than usual,” she said. “We saw cases climb from late June, peak in mid-August, and only slowly decline into spring.” That late surge meant that winter illnesses lingered well into October, keeping infection levels unusually high.
But influenza wasn’t alone. Covid and RSV were circulating simultaneously, and environmental factors — colder weather, increased travel, and social interactions — only helped viruses spread. “It’s not just one virus,” Dr. Bennett emphasized. “It’s the overlap that makes it feel like sickness is everywhere.”
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