Increase in number of children infected with flu, 114 in hospital

Tens of thousands of Queenslanders have taken up the state government’s offer of a free flu jab, but with an increase in the number of children infected, the state isn’t out of the woods yet.

Tens of thousands of Queenslanders have taken up the state government’s offer of a free flu jab in a matter of days, but the Health Minister warned the state wasn’t out of the woods yet.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said there had been an increase in the number of children aged five to 17 infected with the flu, with 114 hospitalised in the past few weeks.

Only 3 per cent of those hospitalised had been vaccinated.

All Queenslanders can get the flu jab for free until the end of August under a state government funded vaccination blitz which started officially on Saturday.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman. Picture: Richard Walker

It was hoped removing cost and access barriers would entice more people to get the jab and in turn raise Queensland’s woeful flu vaccination rate, which is the lowest in the country in those aged 50 and younger.

Ms Fentiman confirmed 53,000 more people had been vaccinated against the flu since the jab was made free.

Queensland has also pushed for the flu jab to be made free for all, every year, taking the suggestion to a meeting of health ministers in Canberra late last week.

Ms Fentiman said her federal and jurisdiction counterparts had agreed to meet later this year, after the flu season, to drill down into the costs and come up with “a comprehensive strategy”.

She said health ministers also discussed a “nationally consistent campaign” to increase vaccination rates as a whole, as fatigue runs rife across the suite of immunisations.

“We are seeing vaccination rates across the country decline and I am really worried about that,” Ms Fentiman said.

“And every one of my counterparts in Canberra are also really worried about vaccination rates, so we have a job to do.”