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A fifth child died while the number of flu victims in Victoria rose to 76 people so far this year.
Sixty-one people in institutions, 10 adults and five children died of the flu in 2019, according to the latest figures from the Department of Health.
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More than 40,000 people have been diagnosed with the flu in Victoria this year, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
The age and date of death of the fifth child were not released.
A 13-year-old girl, one of the latest victims, died three days after contracting the flu on July 5, according to a message from the girl's grandmother on Facebook.
Children aged three, six and eleven also had flu-related deaths this year.
Prevention is the key
"We have seen the early onset of the flu this year," said the health spokesman.
"People need to protect themselves as much as possible and prevention is the key.
"Vaccination is part of that and good personal hygiene such as coughing in the elbow rather than in the hand and causing the virus to spread to other surfaces."
Staying at home after work in case of illness or failing to send sick children to school will help prevent the spread of the flu, he added.
Influenza cases dropped to about 11,000 last year after an alarming 2017 year that diagnosed the disease in more than 48,000 people.
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As part of the national immunization program, the federal government has ordered nearly one million new vaccines, including 500,000 in Melbourne, due to demand.
The state government also made the influenza vaccine free for various groups of people, including children aged six months to five years, adults 65 years and older and pregnant women.
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