Doctors have issued an urgent call for pregnant women and young children to be vaccinated against influenza this April as fears of another record flu season grow.
Last year saw a record 365,000 confirmed flu cases in Australia, while vaccination rates for the disease slumped to their lowest level ever.
Professor Paul Griffin, Director of Infectious Diseases at Mater Hospital Brisbane, said that many people were unaware that pregnant women and children between the ages of 6 months to 5 years are susceptible to flu infections, as well as the over-65s and Indigenous Australians.
Queensland Health has already recorded 8988 flu cases this year – a 24% increase on the first quarter of 2024 – with 770 of these cases among children under 5.
"People wrongly assume flu is like COVID, which is more dangerous for older people than the young – but it isn't," Prof Griffin.
"Flu can be a very serious illness in children and lead to complications such as pneumonia, croup and ear infections which may require hospitalisation.
"Vaccination is also strongly recommended for expecting women as pregnancy weakens the immune system. Flu can lead to very serious complications for both mother and baby."
Less than half of parents of children under 5 know that flu vaccination is recommended for the age group. Last year just 22 per cent of Queensland under-5s were vaccinated against flu – the joint lowest percentage recorded in Australia (see table below)[1].
2024 vaccination coverage in children aged 6 months – 5 years |
||
|---|---|---|
Queensland – 22% |
Western Australia – 22% |
New South Wales – 25% |
South Australia – 27% |
Tasmania – 29% |
Victoria – 30% |
Northern Territory – 33% |
ACT – 48% |
Australia average – 26% |
Australia recorded record vaccination lows in 2024, with just 60.5% of those aged 60 and over getting the jab. The rate among those aged 50-65 was 32.7% and 20.4% among those aged 15-50.
Five hundred Australians died from influenza in 2024.
Although the Australian flu season normally runs from April to October, Prof Griffin warned that the virus was already prevalent in the community.
"The 'flu season' hasn't started yet, but we are already seeing high levels of flu in the community," he said. "This is especially concerning when vaccination rates have fallen to record lows."
The Queensland Government is leading the fight against flu this year by funding free vaccinations for all residents aged over 6 months, while most states and territories are only providing free vaccinations for the most at-risk groups through the Federal Government's National Immunisation Program.
Medical practitioners blame post-COVID 'vaccine fatigue' for the slump in the take-up of flu jabs, with 73% of GPs and nurses believing misinformation on social media is also having an effect[1].
Prof Griffin urged the public, and vulnerable groups especially, to be aware of the facts around flu and flu vaccines.
"Flu is a serious illness, but the vaccines are very safe and we've been using them for a long time," he said.
"Every year we see people in hospital, including young people and pregnant women, who would not have been admitted if they had been vaccinated.
"If you catch the flu after being vaccinated you will fare much better and be much less unwell."
Vaccination is strongly advised for the following groups:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 6 months and over
- Children aged 6 months to under 5 years
- Pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy
- People aged 65 years or over
- People aged 6 months or over with underlying medical conditions, such as cardiac disease and respiratory conditions.
