Health officials are encouraging residents to get their flu shots in the wake of a fatal flu season in Australia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Australia just finished its most severe flu season on record. Officials say 270,000 people were hospitalized and 662 people died from the flu.

For Long Island, the start of the flu season is about a month away. Dr. Robert Zaso, of East Meadow, says the H3N2 strain was the type that caused the most problems in Australia.

He says he is hopeful that this year’s vaccine will be effective. He says, “The vaccine this year was made to compensate for that H3N2, so hopefully our mix up here will be more effective."

Dr. Zaso adds that the more people who are immunized, the less the flu will circulate.

The CDC also urges pregnant women to get the flu shot since they are considered high risk. Officials there say only 54% receive the vaccine either before or during pregnancy.