Yahoo Finance Nasty $170 bill all Aussies face as cold and flu cases surge: ‘Financial stress’
Sydney mum and teacher Kristin Fallico said it costs her family hundreds of dollars each time they are sick.
The winter cold and flu season is in full swing. Along with the physical toll getting sick puts on Aussies, it’s also putting pressure on already stretched budgets.
The average Aussie is losing $170 each time they are sick, according to new research by YouGov for Aussie Oranges. Costs like going to the doctor, buying medicine and being unable to go to work can quickly add up.
Sydney mum and teacher Kristin Fallico told Yahoo Finance it can cost her family more than $300 each time her three-year-old daughter Aria is sick.
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“Our daughter goes to daycare so she’s constantly sick throughout the winter period,” Fallico said.
“We have to take time off work to look after her and we still have to pay for daycare, plus we’ve got to go to GP appointments, which our GP doesn’t bulk bill, and then buy antibiotics. All of that can get quite costly.”
Fallico said getting sick added “extra financial stress” to her and her husband’s budget, particularly at a time when the cost of living is so high.
“Interest rates are putting a lot of pressure on us at the moment and that is having a big impact on us day to day … even energy bills are going up,” she told Yahoo Finance.
“So it is always a bit of a stretch when we do get sick and then there are all those extra doctor’s appointments, time off work and medications.”
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Sick days cost the economy billions
On a national scale, it’s estimated that Aussies calling in sick to work could cost as much as $24 billion.
A study conducted by Frost and Sullivan found one in 10 employees were absent from work on any given day and many had exhausted their sick leave balances.
It also found Gen Z’s were the most likely to take sick leave, averaging 14.3 sick days per year, compared to 8.9 days for Baby Boomers.
Fallico and her husband returned to work this week and said they’re feeling the pressure not to get sick over the school term.
She said they try to “soldier on” if they can and opt for natural and affordable ways to boost their immunity during the year.
“Vitamins are so expensive and in a climate where the cost of living is crazy, buying fresh fruits like oranges and greens are a cheap and affordable way to get vitamin C and build that immunity,” she said.
Nutritionist Zoe Bingley-Pullin said vitamin C consumption was a “crucial part” of supercharging your immune system and preventing illness.
“As a powerful antioxidant, it promotes immune cell production and enhances iron absorption,” she said.
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