South Australian flu infections double as young woman recounts 11‑day hospital fight

An Adelaide woman who spent almost two weeks in hospital battling influenza is urging South Australians not to become complacent as cases surge across the state.

Maddie Ellis, 28, was vaccinated earlier this year — but as a recovering breast cancer patient with a compromised immune system, she says the flu hit her harder than she ever expected.

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She was rushed to hospital struggling to breathe and came close to being placed on a ventilator.

“We were able to slowly taper that down, but the biggest thing was that trouble in breathing,” she said.

SA Health data shows flu infections are now almost doubling each fortnight, with 325 new cases recorded last week and 11 deaths so far this year.

Despite repeated warnings, vaccination rates remain low — including in aged care.

Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier says a significant number of older South Australians remain unprotected.

“A third of older people, 65 and up, haven’t been vaccinated yet and that’s a group that is more vulnerable,” she said.

There has been a modest improvement among children aged six months to five years, with authorities crediting a 5 per cent rise to the needle‑free FluMist option.

“Lots of other vaccine rates have been dropping but this one’s gone up,” Spurrier said.

“You just never know what someone else is experiencing or how it’ll affect them,” she said.