Its blasé use in phrases like ‘man flu’, and its eternal association with its not-so-serious cousin, the common cold, has meant that having ‘the flu’ is increasingly looked upon as an inconvenience, a blight to your wellbeing, but one you can still muddle through with. That might not be the case for much longer, though. A particularly bad flu season in the US, and a rise in flu cases and deaths in Britain this year has meant that there are increasing concerns among Australian health experts as our winter comes upon us and it’s time to get your flu vaccine now.
And if last year is anything to go by, flu should be more on our radar than ever. In Australia, 2017 was the worst year for flu in a decade: nearly 1100 people died, and there were 250,000 lab-confirmed cases – double that of 2016.
Whilst government sites still maintain the overall flu risk to Australia is ‘minimal’[iii], the fear that last year’s outbreak seems to have incited means that there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of people queuing up outside their GPs for this year’s vaccine. So much so, in fact, that there’s now a shortage in supplies of the vaccine. 9.6 million doses of the vaccine have already been released (up from 8.3 million in 2017), and we still need more. However, information from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners is reassuring, with promises that more supplies should arrive in Australia in the next two weeks.
(Just in case you were worried, we don’t look set to have a repeat of last year’s record-breaking numbers, which were caused by the unlucky coalition of the high circulation of flu strain H3 and last year’s vaccine’s ineffectiveness against that particular strain.)
This pause in vaccinations isn’t necessarily all that bad, because there’s always been a risk that getting vaccinated too early can mean leaving yourself open for infection at the back end of the flu season. May is often cited as the best month to get vaccinated and so the extra publicity that this shortage has garnered for the flu vaccine is, frankly, fortuitous.
Last year there were 4.1 million unvaccinated Australians[vii], and despite the National Immunisation Program providing free vaccines for high risk groups (infants, pregnant women, indigenous Australians and the elderly), vaccination rates in children and pregnant women are particularly low. It’s increasingly difficult to tell who will be affected, and so your safest bet is to book an appointment as soon as you can.
The flu changes every year, and so does the flu vaccine – so even if your shot last winter doesn’t seem that long ago, you need to get re-immunised. This year, there are two extra vaccinations available for over-65s to provide better protection.
You can get the flu shot from a range of providers – talk to your doctor, vaccination provider, or Aboriginal Health Practitioner/Worker for more information and to arrange your flu shot.
The following Pharmacy 4 Less stores will be administering the flu shot for $19.99: Ashfield, Auburn, Caringbah, Chatswood, Hornsby, Maroubra, Narellan, Parramatta, Riverstone, Tahmoor, Top Ryde, Kotara, Five Dock Great North Rd, Five Dock Parramatta Rd, Bracken Ridge, Logan City, Alfredton, Cranbourne Central, Frankston, Keysborough South, Parkmore, St Albans, Torquay, Watsonia, Burnie, Armadale, Cannington.
All Pharmacy 4 Less pharmacists are qualified to provide a Leave Certificate too.
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