GPs are sounding the alarm on Australia’s influenza vaccination rates, following a record flu season in which more than 412,000 lab-confirmed cases have been reported across the country so far this year.
More than 31,102 cases have been recorded in WA in 2025, making it likely that the state could double the 17,117 cases seen in 2024. It is the state’s worst flu season since record began.
The national case numbers have also outstripped those from last year, when the previous all-time high of 365,000 cases was reached.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright described the latest figures as a wake-up call and urged all states to commit to introducing free childhood intranasal vaccinations ahead of the 2026 flu season, as WA has announced it will do.
“This is not a record we want to be breaking, we must boost vaccination rates and reverse this trend,” he said.
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Around 1.5% of people in Australia have experienced a notifiable flu infection, or 1525 lab-confirmed cases per 100,000 people, which is a 10.8% increase on the 2024 record.
While influenza case numbers have reached levels not recorded before, flu vaccination rates have plateaued and, in some cases, are trending in the opposite direction.
Dr Wright said on a national level only 25.7% of children aged six months to five years were vaccinated in 2025, the lowest since 2021.
The level of vaccination in that same cohort in WA was even lower, currently sitting at 23%.
“Getting vaccinated not only help keeps yourself as safe as possible, but also your friends and family members. This should act as a wake-up call to all patients across Australia,” he said.
About 25% of influenza notifications in WA were among children aged two to 12 years in the first eight months of the year, with more than 17,000 presentations to emergency departments in WA for respiratory-related illnesses in children.
Influenza vaccination rates for patients over the age of 65 have also slipped, with the 60.5% rate on a national level, the lowest since 2020.
A total of 59.8% of Western Australians in that age group are currently vaccinated.
Dr Wright said governments need to take action ahead of next year’s peak flu season.
“Governments can take concrete steps to improve our vaccination figures,” he said.
“Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia have committed to introducing free childhood intranasal vaccinations ahead of the 2026 flu season and we would like to see other states and territories do the same.”
Children aged between two and under 12 years will be able to access the intranasal influenza vaccines in WA in 2026, with the government setting aside $4.78 million to secure 130,000 doses.
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Dr Wright described the needle-free vaccination option as a “game-changer,” that should assist in boosting vaccinations in children.
“The vaccination rate for young children, who are at increased risk of contracting a severe flu infection, has fallen to just one in four and they’re also coming down with influenza more often than any other patient group,” he said.
“Many kids are fearful of needles, which can stall vaccination efforts – particularly as two thirds of parents say the distress they feel when thinking about vaccinating their child acts as a barrier.”
Dr Wright said intranasal sprays had been thoroughly tested for safety and efficacy overseas.
“Finland, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain having been administering them for years and these countries have seen substantial increases in vaccination coverage in high-risk patient groups,” he said.
“We must fight complacency and get more jabs in arms to help keep as many patients as possible out of hospital and ensure that next year’s flu case number figures are heading in the right direction.”
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