Opinion: Vaccination vital as we risk a resurgence of diseases

With flu cases up 35 per cent and the risk of historical diseases re-emerging, vaccination has never been more important, writes Heidi Carroll. VOTE IN OUR POLL

• Vaccine push: Flu cases soar

Queensland has already recorded more than 13,600 cases of influenza in 2025 – a nearly 35 per cent increase on the same time last year.

Why is this worrying? Because the flu can be a serious illness, causing hospitalisations and even death, and these high numbers may indicate an early start to the peak flu season.

Last year, there were nearly 200 flu-related deaths, with a majority of those being unvaccinated.

While we know that elderly people are most at risk of being seriously ill from the flu, nearly 40 deaths occurred in Queenslanders aged under 65 during the same period.

Additionally, around 7000 people were hospitalised last year due to serious illness and complications from the flu.

We want to avoid high flu hospitalisations this year.

The flu vaccine is a simple, effective way to help protect yourself and those around you from serious illness, hospitalisation and even death – and it’s free for every Queenslander aged six months and older.

It’s easier than ever to get vaccinated with thousands of GPs, pharmacies and other vaccination providers across the entire state offering free flu vaccination.

It’s time to roll up your sleeves, Queensland.

It’s also important for pregnant women, newborns, and eligible young children to get vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus this year.

RSV is the most common cause of hospitalisation among infants and young children, with almost all children experiencing at least one RSV infection within the first two years of life.

Currently, we’ve seen more than 2300 RSV cases among children under two this year.

Of these, more than 300 children have been hospitalised.

No parent wants to see their child struggling to breathe in hospital.

Chief health officer Dr Heidi Carroll

The good news is there’s a vaccine to prevent serious illness against RSV among our most vulnerable cohorts – with pregnant women eligible for vaccines to protect their child from the moment they’re born.

Since we introduced our free RSV vaccination program in 2024, we have seen a 69 per cent decrease in RSV hospitalisations among infants under six months of age. This year, that’s meant 193 fewer hospitalisations among infants compared to the same period last year.

Flu and RSV vaccination is not our only concern, with data showing that since 2020, childhood vaccination rates for all vaccine preventable diseases have steadily fallen globally.

Queensland’s vaccination coverage target is 95 per cent for children, however, we’re currently sitting at 91.6 per cent for one-year-olds and 90.1 per cent for two-year-olds – and the coverage rate is continuing to trend down.

It’s also concerning that in some parts of Queensland, coverage rates among pregnant women for diseases such as whooping cough (pertussis) have fallen below 65 per cent.

Vaccines have transformed public health and global data shows vaccination is the single best preventive measure to reduce serious illness, hospitalisation, and death from more than 20 life-threatening diseases.

Vaccination is safe and effective and prevents up to five million deaths globally each year from diseases such as measles, influenza and whooping cough.

Fortunately, our experience of many vaccine-preventable diseases is limited because of the protection vaccines offer.

Often people don’t realise how serious these diseases can be.

If we continue to see vaccination rates decline, we risk a resurgence of diseases such as measles, diphtheria and pneumococcal disease.

I encourage all Queenslanders to prioritise a visit with their healthcare provider and talk to them about their vaccination needs.

Dr Heidi Carroll is Queensland chief health officer

Originally published as Opinion: Vaccination vital as we risk a resurgence of diseases