Only half of Australian children likely to be vaccinated for flu in 2022

Only half of Australian children are likely to be vaccinated against flu this year, with vaccination plans still undecided for a quarter of children.

The latest Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Poll has found there are several misconceptions held by parents about the flu vaccine, including beliefs that it isn’t necessary or effective. 

One in three parents are unaware that the flu can make children seriously unwell.

Half of Australian parents are not aware it is safe for children to receive flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time, and 43 per cent believe the flu vaccine is not as important for children as the COVID-19 vaccine.

The poll of 2,002 parents of children aged between six months and 17 years found:

• According to parents, half of Australian children (50%) will be vaccinated against the flu this season, with planned uptake highest for children under five years of age (55%).
• About one in four children (27%) have parents who are unsure whether to vaccinate their child against the flu.
• One in three parents (37%) are not aware that healthy children can get seriously unwell from the flu.
• Just under half of parents (43%) think the flu vaccine is not as important for children as the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Cost is a potential barrier to uptake of the flu vaccine for almost one in three families (27%).
• More than half of parents (53%) don’t know it is safe to have the flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time.

Dr Anthea Rhodes, paediatrician and Director of the RCH National Child Health Poll, said rates of influenza are rising rapidly in the community, making it incredibly important for children to be vaccinated for flu now.

“We’ve seen very little flu in the last two years, mostly due to the way we all responded to the pandemic. The measures we took to prevent the spread of COVID-19, like careful hygiene practices, home isolation and the closure of international borders, also protected us from the flu.

“But this year, international travel is back, kids have returned to onsite learning, and people are interacting more. The flu is back – and we are all more vulnerable to it because of our lack of recent exposure and reduced uptake of the flu vaccine over the past two years,” said Dr Rhodes.

“Children, including healthy children, are more likely to catch the flu than adults and can become seriously unwell. Children under five are the group most likely to be hospitalised for complications affecting the brain or lungs,” she said.

The poll found common reasons for vaccine hesitancy among parents include the beliefs that the flu vaccine isn’t necessary (46 per cent) or effective (35 per cent), and that children have had too many vaccines (37 per cent).

“Not only is the flu vaccine effective, it’s safe and recommended. It’s also free for children aged between six months and five years. The flu vaccine is available through the GP, and also at pharmacies for children aged five and over,” explained Dr Rhodes.

The poll also revealed parents are unsure of the recommendations and safety of the flu vaccine alongside the COVID-19 vaccine, with almost half of parents thinking the flu vaccine is not as important as the COVID-19 vaccine.

“It’s just as important to vaccinate your child against the flu as it is to vaccinate them against COVID-19. And these vaccinations can be administered at the same time. We are seeing flu rates rapidly increase in children at the moment, so I urge parents not to delay the flu vaccine for their children,” said Dr Rhodes.

“Parents are more aware of infectious diseases now, they understand how vaccines work to protect children. We have seen an increase in the motivation of some parents to vaccinate their children. However, we also found that half of Australian parents are not planning to vaccinate their children for flu this year. Some may be experiencing vaccine fatigue – they have had to get COVID-19 vaccinations several times, and now feel their children have had too many vaccines.

“But after so much effort to protect everyone from COVID-19, we don’t want to drop the ball at the last minute, and let the flu sneak in the back door and make our kids really unwell. The last thing anyone wants is more sickness in their family.

“Parents should speak with their doctor, pharmacist or other trusted health care professional about the flu vaccine in order to make an informed decision about having their child vaccinated against the flu now,” said Dr Rhodes.

The RCH Poll was conducted in April 2022 and data were collected from a nationally representative sample of Australian parents.

Visit rchpoll.org.au to read the full report.