Influenza B is back and more children are ending up in hospital

Macartney said until about two months ago, the common influenza strain A accounted for about 75 per cent of all cases in Australia, but influenza B had surged to make up some 50 per cent of total notifications.

Merrin Schnabel thought her two sons had coronavirus again when they had high temperatures, sore throats and body aches that left them bedridden – but tests revealed it was influenza B.