Flu cases reach all-time high

Amid a record-breaking flu season, the RACGP is demanding government action to bolster falling vaccination rates.
 
So far in 2025, more than 410,000 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported, far outstripping the previous annual record of 365,633 recorded last year.
 
More than 37% of this year’s cases have been in New South Wales and 23% in Victoria, while more than one quarter of cases were in children aged nine and below.
 
At the same time as flu cases surge, just 26% of children aged six months to five years have been vaccinated in 2025, the lowest rate since 2021.
 
‘This is not a record we want to be breaking, we must boost vaccination rates and reverse this trend,’ RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said.
 
‘This should act as a wake-up call to all patients across Australia.’
 
Flu vaccination rates for patients over the age of 65 have also fallen to the lowest since 2020.
 
Dr Wright is now calling on governments to ‘take concrete steps to improve our vaccination figures’.
 
‘Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia have committed to introducing free childhood intranasal vaccinations ahead of the 2026 flu season and we would like to see other states and territories do the same,’ he said.
 
‘Many kids are fearful of needles, which can stall vaccination efforts – particularly as two-thirds of parents say the distress they feel when thinking about vaccinating their child acts as a barrier.  
 
‘That’s why needle-free vaccinations are a game changer. I can’t imagine a more effective and timely way to boost vaccinations for these kids.’
 
Doctors in Finland, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain have been administering intranasal sprays for several years, leading to increases in vaccination coverage in high-risk patient groups. 
 
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