Over 2,500 Australians die each year from complications caused by influenza. Less than half the people most at risk of developing life threatening complications from influenza are being vaccinated annually. They include the elderly, those with suppressed immunity of any age and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Only 20-50 per cent of health care workers, who are at an increased risk of both getting and spreading influenza are being vaccinated.
Influenza is not a cold. It is a highly contagious disease, so these immunisation rates must be increased to protect the most vulnerable.
The National Institute of Clinical Studies (NICS) is an institute of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australia's peak body for supporting health and medical research. As part of the NHMRC, NICS works to improve health care by getting health and medical research into practice.
Vaccination is the single most effective protection against influenza.
If you're not sure whether you should be vaccinated, there are three important steps to take:
- Assess your risk
- Get the facts about flu
- Talk to your doctor or employer about influenza vaccination