Flu death prompts Qld health warning

The death of a mother-of-three due to flu-related illness so early in the season has prompted health officials to issue a reminder of how serious the viral disease can be.

A Queensland family says it has been rocked by the death of 35-year-old Jacinta Foulds on Tuesday night, about two weeks after coming down with the illness.

"She was extremely sick with influenza and as a result she caught a secondary infection as well as pneumonia and it was to much for body to handle," Ms Foulds' family have shared on an online crowd funding site.

"I'm really struggling and am trying to hold it together for my 3 kids," it read.

She died in Toowoomba Hospital in the Darling Downs region west of Brisbane.

Health officials said it was rare but severe complications can happen for people aged under 50 who are diagnosed with influenza.

It is not too late to be vaccinated before the peak of the flu season in mid-August and September, says Darling Downs Health boss Dr Martin Byrne.

He said other preventive measures included good hand hygiene, cough etiquette and staying away from work or school if you are unwell.

People most at risk from the flu include infants, the elderly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, those with chronic conditions and pregnant women.