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Flu vaccine rationing now in place in Victoria and NSW


Doug Hendrie


24/05/2018 1:39:34 PM

Flu vaccines are now being rationed to ‘vulnerable patients’ in Australia’s two most populous states, Victoria and NSW.

Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy said rationing means vulnerable people can continue to receive the flu vaccine. (Image: James Ross/AAP)
Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy said rationing means vulnerable people can continue to receive the flu vaccine. (Image: James Ross/AAP)

A spike in demand has forced authorities to ration flu vaccine to people in high-risk groups. It is estimated that demand in 2018 is up between 25–30%.
 
Children between six months and five years, adults over 65, pregnant women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over the age of 15 are among the most vulnerable groups.
 
National Immunisation Program (NIP) stocks were increased by 10% to 5.1 million doses for the 2018 flu season, but demand has outstripped supply in the wake of the horror flu season of 2017 that killed more than one thousand people in Australia.
 
Additional stocks are expected to arrive within a few weeks.
 
Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy said rationing means the people who most need it can continue to receive the vaccine. She has called for a speedy resolution to the problem.
 
‘We want the flu vaccine to be available for all and that's why we've called upon the Federal Government to get more assertive and organised about ensuring a solid supply,’ she told reporters.
 
New South Wales chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant told the ABC that people yet to have the vaccine should call their GP beforehand.



flu-vaccine influenza NSW rationing Victoria


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Jon Darian   25/05/2018 6:40:50 AM

It is happening in Queensland, too. My five-year old daughter could not get her second dose of private flu vaccine because the supply was bought out by the government.


Dr. Sasidharan   25/05/2018 7:06:26 PM

Unfortunately lots of our colleagues are using the free vaccine to not eligible patients . These doctors should be asked to pay back themselves


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