VCE students urged to avoid the deadly flu
VCE years are stressful enough, the last thing students need is a bout of the potentially deadly flu. So these top Victorian schools have started a voluntary vaccination program after the horror 2017 flu season.
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Top private schools are offering senior students the flu jab in a bid to cut absenteeism in the vital VCE years.
Camberwell Grammar and Trinity Grammar are among schools to introduce user pays, voluntary vaccination programs in an effort to keep the potentially deadly bug at bay.
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Camberwell Grammar introduced its vaccination program after two boys were hospitalised due to flu related illness in 2017. It is open to all Year 11 and 12 students while the Trinity program is for Year 12 students.
Last year’s flu season, which runs roughly from May to October, was regarded as a relatively mild season while 2017 was labelled the worst since 2009.
Australian Medical Association Victorian president associate professor Julian Rait welcomed the move, saying it was a great idea to protect students during a crucial time of study.
Camberwell Grammar school nurse Rhonda Nicholson said she expected the uptake for the second year of the program in the coming week to be higher than last year.
In 2018, around 10 per cent of the eligible boys had the vaccination which is administered by Boroondara City Council and costs $25.
Staff receive a free vaccination which is not compulsory but Ms Nicholson said uptake had risen after the 2017 illnesses.
Trinity Grammar School headmaster Phil De Young said when the flu vaccination was offered last year for year 12s there was a 50 per cent take up rate.
He said they were on track for about the same rate for the vaccination which will be administered later this week.
Ms Nicholson said schools were a hotbed of germs so messages about handwashing and hygiene were regularly reinforced.
A free influenza vaccination is available for high risk groups which include pregnant women. Children under five, people over 65 and vulnerable groups such as people living with chronic illness and indigenous people are all eligible for free injections.
The Influenza Surveillance Report for 2018 found that vaccinated individuals were 68 per cent less likely to present to a doctor and 58 per cent less likely to be hospitalised due to influenza when vaccinated.
Associate professor Rait said there were suggestions that this year’s influenza outbreak could be on par with 2017.
“We would encourage every adult where possible to obtain a flu vaccination. We think having large numbers of the community immunised is our best protection against the spread of influenza,” he said
In addition to getting a flu shot, washing hands, covering coughing and sneezing, binning tissues rather than leaving them lying around, avoiding sharing and keep surfaces clean may help.
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