Immunisation Community of Practice

Influenza Vaccination in Children and Adolescents

This evidence-based course will give you the confidence to discuss and provide influenza vaccination to children and adolescents. Click ‘Take this Course’ to get access and strengthen your clinical expertise today.

To know more about the course, learning objectives and outcomes, please scroll down for more information.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this activity, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the burden of influenza disease in children aged 6 months to <5 years and 5 years to <18 years, including hospitalisation and mortality rates.
2. Summarise influenza infection rates and vaccination coverage in Australia during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, including variation by state and territory.
3. Identify factors associated with declining childhood and adolescent influenza vaccination uptake.
4. Compare currently available influenza vaccine options for children aged 6 months to <5 years and 5 years to <18 years, including vaccines funded under the National Immunisation Program, state-based programs, and privately funded vaccines.
5. Explain key differences between intranasal and intramuscular influenza vaccine administration, including indications, contraindications and practical considerations influencing vaccine selection in clinical practice.
6. Apply evidence-based communication strategies to support informed decision-making and improve influenza vaccination uptake among children and adolescents.
7. Apply knowledge of influenza vaccination recommendations to real-world clinical scenarios encountered in primary care and community pharmacy settings.

The NSW Free Flu Vaccine Checker is a simple way to check if someone is eligible for a funded flu vaccine in NSW.

Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone over 6 months of age each year. However, it can be tricky to navigate the criteria for funded flu vaccine, particularly the list of eligible medical risk conditions. This tool guides users through eligibility based on the National Immunisation Program and NSW Health policies.

This tool is designed for the general public, but clinicians may also find it useful to check eligibility for their patients.

Anyone is welcome to use or share the tool.

A poster with a QR code link is available to display in waiting rooms and other patient areas. This can be downloaded below, or please email: SESLHD-PublicHealthEnquiry@health.nsw.gov.au if you would like to be posted a laminated poster for your practice or pharmacy.

Other promotional images are also available to download below.

• Poster – general
• Poster – NSW Health facilities
• Email signature banner

Social media images

• Instagram post
• Instagram story image (add link when posting)
• Facebook poster
• Square image

The tool is an initiative of UNSW in collaboration with the South Eastern Sydney Public Health Unit.

The Medical Republic (AUS), 26 March 2026
Australians aged 50 years and older can now access Fluad under the National Immunisation Program. The adjuvanted trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine had been available to adults aged 65 and up under the NIP since 2018 but is now recommended for adults aged 50 years and older. Fluzone High-Dose (Sanofi-Aventis Australia) is recommended and included in the NIP for people 60 years and older.
Read more

On this day, 26 March 1953, Dr Jonas Salk announced the successful testing of his polio vaccine.

That wasn’t just a scientific milestone. It was one of the great turning points in modern medical history.

A new Australian study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific has found that SMS reminders increased timely vaccination of children by around 6%.

The randomised trial involved sending automated reminders to 9,993 parents of children registered with 20 primary health clinics across Australia.

Although neutral SMS reminders were less effective than more persuasive messages, the researchers were unable to identify a single best combination of reminder content framing and timing.

Other digital initiatives to boost on-time childhood vaccination include the NSW Government’s new online tool, which allows parents to check which vaccines their child needs and when by entering their child’s name and birth date.

Pertussis rates are continuing to rise across all Australian state and territories as vaccination numbers fall to the lowest levels in 10 years, according to new data from the Productivity Commission. The latest Report on Government Services (RoGS) shows that in 2024-25 the proportion of children fully immunised under the National Immunisation Program was among the lowest since 2015-16.

The Medical Republic

Despite strong national immunisation programs, Australia continues to experience persistent and, in some cases, worsening undervaccination across several vaccine-preventable diseases. To address this, the Immunisation Coalition has released a new report outlining practical, evidence-aligned recommendations to improve vaccine uptake among populations eligible under the National Immunisation Program (NIP).

The Advisory Group Recommendations for Addressing Undervaccination in NIP-Eligible Populations report focuses on four priority disease areas where coverage gaps remain: COVID-19, influenza, pneumococcal disease and pertussis. These diseases were selected due to declining vaccination rates, ongoing disease burden, and missed opportunities for prevention—particularly among older adults, young children, people with medical risk conditions, pregnant women and residents of aged care facilities.

Developed through expert consensus, the report brings together insights from clinicians, public health specialists, pharmacists, nurses, researchers and industry representatives. Rather than revisiting why vaccination is important, the report concentrates on how to improve delivery, outlining clear, implementable actions that align with the National Immunisation Strategy 2025–2030.

Key themes across the recommendations include:

• Better use of data and the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) to identify and recall people who are due or overdue for vaccination
• Strengthening vaccination delivery in primary care, aged care and community settings
• Improving access through coordinated programs, funded immunisation coordinators and expanded provider roles
• Providing tailored, fit-for-purpose education for patients, carers and healthcare professionals
• Supporting scalable pilot programs that can be evaluated and expanded nationally

The report is intended to support policymakers, healthcare providers and stakeholders by offering practical solutions that can be actioned now, helping to close coverage gaps and reduce avoidable illness, hospitalisation and death.

Read the full report to explore the recommendations in detail and understand how targeted, system-level changes can strengthen Australia’s immunisation landscape.