Vaccination rates still lagging as 2026 flu season ramps up

Three of Australia’s leading influenza experts outlined to a recent AusSMC seminar what they think is likely for the coming winter flu season.

The Acting Deputy Director-General for the Australian Centre for Disease Control Dr Marsha Somi told the briefing that 2025 was the worst Australian influenza season on record, with more than 1700 people losing their lives to the disease.

She said this was the highest death rate for flu so far this century, and the highest recorded cases of influenza since records began in 1991.

While influenza notifications so far in 2026 are well below previous years, Dr Somi said that’s no reason to become complacent, particularly as vaccination rates are still too low.

“Influenza vaccination rates have been more than 60% for those aged 65 years and over, but lower for other age groups ranging between 13 and 37%,” Dr Somi said. 

“So there's still a lot of work to do to increase vaccination coverage rates.”

Nasal influenza vaccine now available for children

Professor Kristine Macartney, Director of the Australian National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance and Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Sydney, said one of the benefits of the flu vaccine is that it typically reduces hospitalisations by 50%.

“10 000 families were impacted by the hospitalisation of their child since 2022, more than 6% of those in ICU,” Professor Macartney said. 

“The average age here is about 5.1 years. You don't think of your healthy five-year-old as being at risk of hospitalisation from influenza, but they are.”

“It works to keep people out of hospital and keep hospital beds free for those who otherwise would need them.”

Professor McCartney said the nasal influenza vaccine is available for the first time this year for children between two and 18 years old, and will hopefully address the slide in immunisation rates.

“There is no needle involved. This is just a very gentle squirt up each nostril of a small amount of liquid that is available for use in children,” she said.

“It's the first time that this vaccine has been available in Australia, but the vaccine has been used for decades in the US, in Canada, in the UK. And in fact, it is the backbone of a very comprehensive all child influenza programme in the UK.”

“So there's been tremendous learnings about its effectiveness, its impact on transmission, and indeed its safety, a very safe vaccine from decades of use. It's just that it took a long time to get a Southern hemisphere formulation manufactured.”

Flu complacency putting people at risk

Professor McCartney said many people are still far too casual about influenza.

“Influenza can cause serious illness, it can result in hospitalisation, it can result in death. This can happen in perfectly healthy people of all ages,” Professor Macartney said.

“And this is the thing that I think we sometimes miss out on capturing when we communicate about influenza.”

“The complications are significant and they are, again, possible in anyone, even healthy people. So this is why getting a flu vaccine is worth it, and it's recommended for everyone six months and older. 

“As a clinician for more than 40 years, I can emphasise to you that people always say, `I had no idea the flu could be that bad.’ But when it meets them, as it does for so many, we see the real cost of influenza.”

Professor Patrick Reading, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza at the Doherty Institute, said part of the challenge for combatting flu is the number of different strains.

"When we're talking about influenza, we're talking about influenza A and influenza B viruses,” Professor Doherty said.

“We're expecting to see an increase quite soon as we move into winter.”

“We cannot predict the severity or which virus or viruses will predominate in the upcoming influenza season. We kind of have to wait and watch.”

“Influenza vaccines are the best way to reduce the likelihood of hospitalisation. The H1N1 and H3N2 components of the vaccine that's available now in Australia have been updated, and this is to provide a better match for the circulating viruses that we're expecting in our winter."