Three die after flu outbreak in Australia's New South Wales

Three people have died at two separate disabled care centers in Australia's New South Wales (NSW) after an outbreak of flu virus, local media reported on Friday.

Two men in their 60s and a woman in her 40s died from the dangerous flu in the past week at the Kanangra facility at Morisset Hospital and the Stockton Center in the Hunter Valley of NSW, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

Fourteen other residents of the centers have recovered from the virus.

There are 450 residents living in the centers, according to the ABC reports.

The New South Wales Disability Services Minister Andrew Constance said authorities were doing their best to stop the virus spreading.

"We have appropriate protocols in place, we hope we'll continue to protect residents knowing that we still have 51 residents who are still being treated," he told the ABC.

NSW Opposition Health spokesman, Doctor Andrew McDonald, said he was concerned that it could be a new strain of flu.

"This is a great concern because most of these people had been vaccinated against the flu, this means that the vaccination is either ineffective or it's a new virus," he said.

The NSW Government says residents who have taken ill have been quarantined in their units while staff are required to wear protective masks as a precaution from the flu in the centers.