A statement by Professor Anthony Lawler Australian Government Chief Medical Officer
Stay Safe This Winter: Get Vaccinated
As the weather cools down in most parts of Australia, I’d like to remind you to protect yourself against serious illnesses by booking your vaccinations this winter.
Influenza is the most common vaccine-preventable disease in Australia. Free influenza vaccines are now available through the Australian Government’s National Immunisation Program for people most at risk of complications. For those not eligible for a free vaccine, you are able to purchase the vaccine through your vaccination provider.
I encourage you to also book vaccinations against other respiratory diseases at this time. This includes respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and whooping cough if you are pregnant, and COVID-19 if you are in a group for whom it is recommended. It is safe to receive all of these vaccines at the same time as the influenza vaccine.
You can get your influenza, RSV and COVID-19 vaccines at general practices (GP), pharmacies, community health centres, Aboriginal Medical Services and immunisation clinics. Many workplaces also offer annual influenza vaccines.
Although we cannot predict the 2025 influenza season, we can learn from the data collected during the 2024 influenza season.
Last year, the highest notification rates for influenza were in children under 9 years, and worryingly the vaccine uptake was low in this group. The number of RSV cases was higher in 2024 than 2023, and most were in children aged 0-4 years. The highest notification rates for COVID-19 were in people aged 70 and over.
In 2024, there were more deaths involving influenza and RSV than in 2023. This is an important reminder that influenza, RSV and COVID-19 are not the common cold. These are very serious viruses that can cause severe illness, hospitalisation and even death among otherwise healthy children and adults.
So far in 2025, there has been a higher proportion of influenza B cases than seen at this time in recent years, particularly in school-aged children and young adults. Influenza B is often more common in children, and can result in more severe infections in children.
The good news is that all the influenza vaccines available in Australia cover both influenza A and B, making the seasonal influenza vaccine very effective at protecting people from needing to go to hospital or visit their GP due to complications from influenza.
It is important that everyone from the age of 6 months get vaccinated against influenza every year. I also encourage pregnant women to get vaccinated against RSV and whooping cough and people 65 years and over to stay up to date with regular COVID-19 vaccinations.
By getting vaccinated, you are protecting yourself and those around you from serious illness.
People eligible for a free influenza vaccine include: