Seasonal influenza vaccination under the National Immunisation Program

The Department is pleased to share correspondence from the Australian Government Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Professor  Paul Kelly, providing advice on seasonal influenza vaccination under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) in 2023.

Key points:

• Annual vaccination is the most important measure to prevent influenza and its complications. It is recommended for all people ≥6 months of age.
• Influenza vaccination is particularly important for those most at risk, with the need to focus on improving uptake in children under 5, First Nations people and pregnant women.
• National Immunisation Program (NIP) influenza vaccines will be available to order from April, subject to local supply arrangements.
• Influenza vaccines can be co-administered (given on the same day) with any COVID-19 vaccine.
• It is mandatory to report all influenza vaccines administered to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) both NIP and private vaccines.

The CMO correspondence includes the following documents:

• Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation Statement - administration of seasonal influenza vaccines in 2023
• NIP Factsheet - program advice for vaccination providers on influenza vaccination 2023
• NIP Schedule – the schedule has been updated to incorporate influenza vaccination across the schedule to ensure eligible patients can be easily identified

Further advice and resources will become available on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website in advance of the program rollout in April.

Conversations with parents and pregnant women around influenza vaccination

The SKAI communication package is an evidence-based suite of communication tools aimed at improving conversations between vaccination providers and parents of young children, pregnant women and families about vaccination. SKAI was developed by the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) in partnership with the University of Sydney and other collaborators and includes the following influenza vaccination-specific resources to support vaccination providers in conversations with parents of young children and pregnant women:

• Information factsheet - Is an influenza vaccine recommended for my child?
• Information factsheet – Why does my child need a flu shot?
• Information factsheet – The influenza vaccine for pregnant women

As part of SKAI, this year resources are being developed specifically to support providers in their conversations with First Nations audiences around influenza vaccination and will be made available ahead of the influenza season.

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