Latest news with #NationalNotifiableDiseasesSurveillanceSystem
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
Low vaccine rates see flu cases rise, putting vulnerable people at risk
This year's flu season is shaping up to be one for the ages if current influenza case numbers are anything to go by - and low flu vaccination rates could be to blame. Figures from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System show there have been more than 80,000 lab-confirmed influenza cases recorded across Australia in the year to May 19, representing about a 13 per cent increase over the same period last year. At the same time, flu vaccination rates are alarmingly low. Despite being part of a high-risk group, only 11.7 per cent of children aged between six months and five years old have received a flu vaccine this year. People aged 65 and over are another high-risk cohort at risk of serious complications from influenza. But data shows less than half (46.9 per cent) of this group are covered for the upcoming winter months. Dr Ramya Raman, vice-president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), said people may be reluctant to get the flu vaccine due to fatigue surrounding vaccines in recent years. "There is a level of vaccine hesitancy that we are seeing, and it's primarily related to a sense of exhaustion," she said. But Dr Raman said flu vaccination is still very important, not just for your own health, but the health of those around you. "It's well proven in effectiveness," she said. "It not only protects patients, it also protects their families, their communities. And it makes a huge difference from having good herd immunity." The updated flu vaccine for the 2025 season is a quadrivalent vaccine, meaning it targets four separate strains. The following groups can access flu vaccines for free through their pharmacist or GP: If you are part of one of these high-risk groups, it's best to seek advice from your regular GP or medical practitioner before receiving a vaccine. This year's flu season is shaping up to be one for the ages if current influenza case numbers are anything to go by - and low flu vaccination rates could be to blame. Figures from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System show there have been more than 80,000 lab-confirmed influenza cases recorded across Australia in the year to May 19, representing about a 13 per cent increase over the same period last year. At the same time, flu vaccination rates are alarmingly low. Despite being part of a high-risk group, only 11.7 per cent of children aged between six months and five years old have received a flu vaccine this year. People aged 65 and over are another high-risk cohort at risk of serious complications from influenza. But data shows less than half (46.9 per cent) of this group are covered for the upcoming winter months. Dr Ramya Raman, vice-president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), said people may be reluctant to get the flu vaccine due to fatigue surrounding vaccines in recent years. "There is a level of vaccine hesitancy that we are seeing, and it's primarily related to a sense of exhaustion," she said. But Dr Raman said flu vaccination is still very important, not just for your own health, but the health of those around you. "It's well proven in effectiveness," she said. "It not only protects patients, it also protects their families, their communities. And it makes a huge difference from having good herd immunity." The updated flu vaccine for the 2025 season is a quadrivalent vaccine, meaning it targets four separate strains. The following groups can access flu vaccines for free through their pharmacist or GP: If you are part of one of these high-risk groups, it's best to seek advice from your regular GP or medical practitioner before receiving a vaccine. This year's flu season is shaping up to be one for the ages if current influenza case numbers are anything to go by - and low flu vaccination rates could be to blame. Figures from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System show there have been more than 80,000 lab-confirmed influenza cases recorded across Australia in the year to May 19, representing about a 13 per cent increase over the same period last year. At the same time, flu vaccination rates are alarmingly low. Despite being part of a high-risk group, only 11.7 per cent of children aged between six months and five years old have received a flu vaccine this year. People aged 65 and over are another high-risk cohort at risk of serious complications from influenza. But data shows less than half (46.9 per cent) of this group are covered for the upcoming winter months. Dr Ramya Raman, vice-president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), said people may be reluctant to get the flu vaccine due to fatigue surrounding vaccines in recent years. "There is a level of vaccine hesitancy that we are seeing, and it's primarily related to a sense of exhaustion," she said. But Dr Raman said flu vaccination is still very important, not just for your own health, but the health of those around you. "It's well proven in effectiveness," she said. "It not only protects patients, it also protects their families, their communities. And it makes a huge difference from having good herd immunity." The updated flu vaccine for the 2025 season is a quadrivalent vaccine, meaning it targets four separate strains. The following groups can access flu vaccines for free through their pharmacist or GP: If you are part of one of these high-risk groups, it's best to seek advice from your regular GP or medical practitioner before receiving a vaccine. This year's flu season is shaping up to be one for the ages if current influenza case numbers are anything to go by - and low flu vaccination rates could be to blame. Figures from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System show there have been more than 80,000 lab-confirmed influenza cases recorded across Australia in the year to May 19, representing about a 13 per cent increase over the same period last year. At the same time, flu vaccination rates are alarmingly low. Despite being part of a high-risk group, only 11.7 per cent of children aged between six months and five years old have received a flu vaccine this year. People aged 65 and over are another high-risk cohort at risk of serious complications from influenza. But data shows less than half (46.9 per cent) of this group are covered for the upcoming winter months. Dr Ramya Raman, vice-president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), said people may be reluctant to get the flu vaccine due to fatigue surrounding vaccines in recent years. "There is a level of vaccine hesitancy that we are seeing, and it's primarily related to a sense of exhaustion," she said. But Dr Raman said flu vaccination is still very important, not just for your own health, but the health of those around you. "It's well proven in effectiveness," she said. "It not only protects patients, it also protects their families, their communities. And it makes a huge difference from having good herd immunity." The updated flu vaccine for the 2025 season is a quadrivalent vaccine, meaning it targets four separate strains. The following groups can access flu vaccines for free through their pharmacist or GP: If you are part of one of these high-risk groups, it's best to seek advice from your regular GP or medical practitioner before receiving a vaccine.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Chilling figure amid horror flu season
Peak flu season is about to hit Australia and cases are already 30 per cent higher compared to the same time last year. A record number of cases have been reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, and the rates were higher than what authorities saw during Covid. CSL Seqirus medical director Jules Bayliss said more than 58,000 cases of influenza had been recorded this year across all age groups, but the greatest number were in children. She said despite vaccinations being free for children aged under five through the National Immunisation Program, vaccination rates in recent years had been lower than what they would like in children. 'We're seeing rates of flu notifications that are higher than what we saw for Covid across nearly every age group,' Dr Bayliss said. 'Typically, children come into contact and are more likely to transmit than other age groups. 'Things we do as adults to reduce the risk of flu, like getting a vaccination, washing hands, staying home when you're unwell, can be more challenging with children.' Dr Bayliss said people often underestimated how serious the flu could be, which was different to a cold. 'It's a disease that can leave you in bed for a number of days feeling really unwell with fever, muscle aches, and a more severe full body infection than a simple cold,' she said. 'Most people have a number of days off then they return to work or school. 'Other people can end up with really serious disease that leaves them ending up in hospital. 'But we are also seeing that people are not getting vaccinated against influenza.' Dr Bayliss said while the flu vaccine was more available and accessible than ever before, it had been challenging to re-engage with people to get vaccinated following the pandemic. She said CSL had manufactured and released more than seven million vaccine doses to pharmacies and GPs across the nation ahead of flu season. They use a process led by the World Health Organisation to annually update the strains that are in the vaccines, which gives them the best chance of protection against strains that are circulating. 'Typically, the peak of the flu season occurs in late winter or early spring, but every year is a little bit different,' she said. 'It's different depending on the viruses themselves that are circulating, how readily they transmit between individuals, which populations they're circulating in, and which of the individual viruses is dominating in any particular year. 'It becomes really difficult to predict what next year's flu season will look like based on this years.' She said with the Easter holiday period and an increase in flu circulating, it was expected more cases would occur and now was the time to get vaccinated. 'There are cohorts that are covered under the National Immunisation Program that applies across the country to under fives,, over 65s and people that have an underlying medical condition,' she said. 'Free vaccines are only provided in some states, but for everybody else, they can access flu vaccines through their GP or pharmacy.' Australian chief medical officer Anthony Lawler said influenza was the most common vaccine-preventable disease in Australia. The professor said while they could not predict this year's flu season, they could learn from data collected last year which showed children aged under nine had the highest notification rates, but had a low vaccine uptake. 'In 2024, there were more deaths involving influenza and RSV than in 2023,' he said. 'This is an important reminder that influenza, RSV and Covid are not the common cold. 'These are very serious viruses that can cause severe illness, hospitalisation and even death among otherwise healthy children and adults.' Professor Lawler said so far in 2025, there had been a higher proportion of influenza B cases than seen at this time in recent years, particularly in school-aged children and young adults. 'Influenza B is often more common in children, and can result in more severe infections in children,' he said. 'The good news is that all the influenza vaccines available in Australia cover both influenza A and B, making the seasonal influenza vaccine very effective at protecting people from needing to go to hospital or visit their GP due to complications from influenza.' He recommended everyone from the age of six months get vaccinated against influenza every year, and encouraged pregnant women to get vaccinated against RSV and whooping cough and people over 65 years to get regular Covid vaccinations.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Get vaccinated': Cases surge in Australia
Australians have been urged to get a flu vaccination as cases surge across the country, almost doubling in one state. The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System reported there had been more than 46,300 cases across Australia this year to the end of March, an increase of about 50 per cent from last year. The report showed 67 people in Queensland had been hospitalised with influenza and another 900 were diagnosed in one week. More than 10,000 flu cases have been reported in Victoria with numbers continuing to rise and were almost double the amount of cases compared to the same time last year. Victorian chief health officer Tarun Weeramanthri told Nine, April was the best month to receive a vaccination ahead of the peak flu season in June and July. 'It does take a couple of weeks before those antibodies come into your body and give you that protection – so you'll get peak protection if you go out and get vaccinated now,' he said. An Australian Health Department spokesman said the flu was particularly dangerous for babies, young children and people with underlying medical conditions and a vaccine was available to people aged over six months. 'It can require hospitalisation and can cause death,' a spokesman said. 'Vaccination is a safe and effective way to protect yourself and your family from serious disease caused by influenza.' Flu vaccines are given each year to protect people against the most common strains of the virus. It is recommended children aged 6 months to five years, pregnant women, people aged over 65 and people with a medical condition get vaccinated.
