Date set for needle-free flu vaccine rollout

In a first for Australia, Queensland GPs will be able to offer eligible children a needle-free flu vaccine from 1 March, as the state prepares to roll out its expanded flu vaccination program.
 
The Nasal Spray Flu Immunisation Program will be available to children aged two to five years.
 
The state also announced that all Queenslanders aged six months and older can access a free influenza vaccine from March until September this year.
 
South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia will also offer FluMist as part of their broader vaccination programs this flu season, with WA extending its free program to children aged two to 12.
 
It is ‘great news for Queenslanders, and especially for families with young kids’, RACGP Queensland Chair Dr Cathryn Hester told newsGP.
 
Despite the expansion, Dr Hester said she does not anticipate ‘any significant troubles’ with adequate supplies for general practices.
 
‘The RACGP, along with other peak bodies, works closely with Queensland Health to help ensure the smooth delivery of these programs,’ she said.
 
‘If GPs are experiencing any challenges, please reach out to our Faculty office to let our team know.
 
‘GPs are the most accessed and trusted providers of preventative care including immunisations, and we are ready to help protect our patients from severe illness this winter.’
 
Intranasal flu vaccines are the latest tool to address falling immunisation rates among children under five years of age in Australia, with needle distress among children and parents often cited as a barrier to vaccination, said Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls.
 
‘Research has shown that six in 10 parents experience distress when thinking about vaccinating their child against influenza, and more than a quarter of young kids experience intense needle phobia,’ he said.
 
Last year, only 25.7% of children aged six months to five years in Australia received flu vaccinations, the lowest rate since 2021.
 
It coincided with a record year of influenza cases in the country, with lab-confirmed flu numbers topping 410,000, up from the previous record of 365,000 in 2024.
 
Children and adolescents in Australia aged from two years to less than 18 years are eligible to receive FluMist, which was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in November 2025.
 
However, the product has been a long time coming for Australia; the nasal spray has been available in the northern hemisphere for more than 20 years.
 
The RACGP chairs of Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have all called on their respective state and territory governments to follow suit in offering free nasal spray flu vaccinations for children.
 
Queensland’s expanded flu vaccination program will see scopes of practice extended to allow vaccinations to be administered by registered nurses, midwives, pharmacists, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners. 
 
‘Making this immunisation more comfortable is important as influenza is one of the leading causes of severe illness in young kids and resulted in many otherwise healthy kids in Queensland needing hospitalisation last year,’ Dr Hester said.
 
‘I’m hopeful that this will reduce vaccination reticence, especially for those who dislike needles.
 
‘We can all do without the illness, disability and inconvenience that a bout of influenza causes.’  
 
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