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RACGP calls for action as flu cases reach record high
With cases skyrocketing to almost 50,000 in 2025, the college is calling on GPs and the community to ‘work together and get vaccinated’.
The RACGP President has called on GPs and the community to ‘work together and get vaccinated’.
This year’s early rise in influenza case numbers, coupled with decreased immunisation rates, has top health experts raising the alarm.
With the 2025 influenza season on track to be the highest on record, RACGP President Dr Michael Wright is calling on the community and GPs to ‘work together and get vaccinated’.
In the first quarter of 2025, there were 48,490 reported cases of influenza in Australia.
This is compared to 30,494 cases across the same period in 2024, 18,582 in 2023, and 20,048 ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Of the cases in the first three months of this year, 22% were in children aged nine and younger, 8% were in those aged 10–14, and a further 6% were diagnosed in adults aged 35– 39 years old.
Around 38% of reported cases were in New South Wales, and 22% were reported in Queensland and Victoria, respectively
‘More than 1000 deaths last year involved the flu, a 67.3% increase on 2023, while more than 4200 people were admitted to hospital,’ Dr Wright said.
‘When you consider that 2024 also saw 2503 people die from COVID-19 and 78 from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, it’s easy to see how a ‘perfect storm’ of infection could push our health system to near breaking point.’
Dr Wright has also pointed to a drop in vaccination uptake among those with a higher risk of complications.
‘Vaccination rates have declined steadily among patients aged 65 and older, from 69% in 2022, to 63.6% in 2023 and just 61.1% last year, which is a concerning trajectory,’ he said.
‘Children under five are at higher risk of experiencing much more serious illness, so it’s particularly troubling that vaccination rates in children in this age bracket dropped from 30.3% in 2023 to 25.8% last year.
‘I’m also alarmed to see that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients have the lowest reported uptake rates among all the priority groups, including just 18.3% of those aged five and under, a sharp decline from 23.1% in 2023.’
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation’s latest clinical update reminds healthcare professionals:
- Influenza vaccine should be given when first available at the start of flu season
- Vaccination lasts throughout the year, but protection is highest in the first three to four months
- Southern hemisphere vaccine should be offered to people planning overseas travel
- Vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the season, as long as influenza viruses are circulating
Manufacturers are also anticipating high case numbers, with
CSL announcing it has increased its production for this year’s season by 100,000 vaccines.
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