Indigenous children will benefit from the Federal Government’s free flu vaccine program for the first time this year as authorities brace for a virulent strain of flu heading for Australia.
The Government announced it would extend its free flu program to the children to help reduce flu deaths among the vulnerable group.
Health Minister Sussan Ley said five Indigenous children died from the flu each year.
“The key objective I believe of every Federal Health Minister when it comes to Indigenous health must be closing the gap in life expectancy and that starts in childhood,” Ms Ley said.
“It’s vital we include children under five in as many health initiatives as possible and flu vaccination is one of them.”
Indigenous children will be able to get a flu vaccine through their GP, Aboriginal Medical Services and immunisation clinics.
Health experts said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were twice as likely to be hospitalised from the flu as non-Indigenous children.
Free flu vaccines are already provided for vulnerable groups such as people aged over 65, pregnant women and people with a range of chronic conditions who are at increased risk from flu complications.
The announcement comes as Australian doctors predict a killer flu season.
In the northern hemisphere, flu rates were high and a deadly strain called H3N2 saw thousands of elderly people hospitalised.
More than 100 children have died in the United States.
“The objective is to be prepared,” Ms Ley said.
“You must take the flu seriously. As a nation, we’ll wait and see what happens with this year’s flu and hope it isn’t as bad as it was in the northern hemisphere.”
Flu immunisation program delayed to improve formula
This year’s Australian public flu immunisation program has been delayed so the flu vaccine can be reformulated from 2014 to replace two strains.
Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation chairman Dr Ross Andrews said the flu vaccine would include the same strain that caused the pandemic in 2009 and two new strains from the northern hemisphere.
“It’s been delayed because of new strains that have been added to the vaccine,” he said.
“There’s been a delay to make sure we’ve got sufficient supplies, so two suppliers providing the vaccine to make sure we’re covered.
“It was a bad year in the northern hemisphere, it was a reasonably bad year last year for us as a flu season.
“It was the worst year … since 2009 and it’s possible we might be heading again to another severe flu season.”
The vaccine will be available from GPs from April 20, he said.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported flu hospitalisation rates for people aged over 65 were the highest in 2014 since flu tracking began in 2005.
Doctors have urged vulnerable patients to be vaccinated as soon as the new vaccine is available.
Data from the Influenza Specialist Group shows almost 2,500 Australians have already had the flu this year, with the majority of cases in Queensland.