AS OF Wednesday this week, NSW has recorded its worst flu season on record - with 35,727 confirmed cases - surpassing the entire number of cases in 2016.

Nationally, it is the worst flu season in 15 years with 71,256 cases - almost half of all the cases in Australia are in NSW. In 2016, there were 35,538 cases in NSW.

August is traditionally the worst month for influenza and there have been 12,724 cases in August alone - as of August 16.

NSW Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord said the Berejiklian Government was caught unprepared and the outbreaks were putting pressure on the entire health and hospital system - especially the over-stretched emergency departments.

Mr Secord said NSW hospitals were at "breaking point” and the Berejiklian Government should have prepared a comprehensive plan to urge families to get their preventative vaccinations and arranged for proper rostering to prevent "bed block” and delays in the State's emergency departments.

He said a major flu vaccination education campaign should have been launched in May, before the flu season hit.

"The flu season is putting the health and hospital system on the North Coast under enormous pressure,” Mr Secord said.

"The flu season is smashing the North Coast. It is hitting the region doubly hard due to its unique demographic nature. There is a large proportion of young children and an aged population.

"The NSW health and hospital system is under enormous pressure. It lurches from crisis to crisis.”

There were 11,176 influenza cases registered across NSW from January to July, up from 8757 last year.