Take advantage of free vaccinations

AMA Queensland and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman have joined forces to urge Queenslanders to take advantage of free vaccinations.

Despite the state government making the flu shot free for all eligible people, only 1.7 million Queenslanders have been vaccinated against influenza this year, about 100,000 fewer than the same time last year and almost 400,000 fewer than in 2022 when free flu jabs were first introduced.

Queensland has recorded more than 61,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza A this year, more than double the five-year average.

At the same time, the proportion of pregnant Queenslanders taking up their free whooping cough vaccine under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) has fallen to 70.7 per cent, down from 77.2 per cent two years ago.

While childhood vaccination rates for whooping cough remain above 90 per cent, immunisation during pregnancy is crucial to protecting newborn babies.

“Anyone who has seen a baby struggling to breathe with whooping cough will never forget that sight,” AMA Queensland President Dr Nick Yim said.

“Newborns cannot be vaccinated, which is why it is so important that everyone around them who can be vaccinated is. Vaccination during pregnancy gives newborns the greatest protection.

“We encourage all expecting parents to talk to their GP about vaccination.”

Minister Fentiman, Chief Health Officer John Gerrard and RACGP Queensland Chair Dr Cathryn Hester joined AMA Queensland Immediate Past President Dr Maria Boulton at her Brisbane practice on Thursday, 23 August, to raise awareness about vaccinations.

“Whooping cough is particularly severe in infants under 6 months of age and can be life-threatening,” Dr Gerrard said.

“Remarkably, vaccinating pregnant women reduces the risk of babies contracting whooping cough by 75 per cent.”

Whooping cough cases have spiked in Queensland this year, with more than 7,000 cases by early August, compared to just 104 in the same period last year.

Young mother Rachel, who is pregnant with her second child, told journalists about her ordeal when her first child Vivienne was hospitalised with whooping cough at 12 months.

Rachel had been vaccinated during pregnancy and Vivienne was vaccinated at two months, but still contracted the infection.

“The doctors told me that without the antibodies from our vaccinations, she could have died,” she said.

However, there is better news on the RSV front.

Queensland is one of only two jurisdictions to provide the RSV vaccine to newborn babies.

“We have almost eradicated RSV for newborns here in Queensland - that is how successful this initiative has been,” Minister Fentiman said.

“From February, babies have been having that immunisation and it has radically reduced RSV for very little babies, where they are the most vulnerable. So that is fantastic news for Queensland.

“I want to thank the RACGP and AMA Queensland who have worked with us to deliver that and the Chief Health Officer whose team has been driving that policy.

“Every other state and territory health minister is looking to Queensland and trying to secure more RSV vaccines for next season.”