The Europe-wide flu epidemic has prompted the European Commission to call for more people to get vaccinated as around 40,000 people die each year due to complications.
It comes as many EU countries have been reporting a higher than average number of hospitalisations due to the flu.
In January, the number of people dying from influenza in England and Wales reached the highest level since a devastating flu epidemic hit the UK three years ago, according to a report from Public Health England (PHE).
In total, 598 people were hospitalised with flu during the second week of January, and almost 50 of the hospital patients were infected with Aussie flu.
The so-called Aussie flu, the H3N2 strain of the influenza virus, has been rife across the UK and other countries in Europe.
The nickname came about after it infected people across Australia over its winter.
EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis said: ”I call on all citizens in the European Union to vaccinate themselves and their children.
“It not only protects yourself, but also your fellow citizens.”
The Commissioner citing figures from the EU Agency for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) which said that every year 40,000 people in the EU, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway die prematurely from complications related to the outbreak of influenza.
Meanwhile in the UK, PHE’s medical director, professor Paul Cosford, said: “Our data continues to show that more people are visiting GPs with flu symptoms, and we are seeing more people admitted to hospital with flu.
“In terms of hospital admission, this is the most significant flu season since the winter of 2010/11 and the preceding pandemic year of 2009, although it is not an epidemic.
“We are currently seeing a mix of flu types, including the A[H3N2] strain that circulated last winter in the UK, and then in Australia.
“The A[H3N2] strain particularly affects older, more vulnerable age groups.
“The best form of protection against flu is to get the vaccine if you are eligible and to practice good respiratory and hand hygiene.”