Despite good intentions to vaccinate their children against the flu, new research has found that many Australian parents have not yet got around to getting it done, with only one in ten children vaccinated as of late April, although the flu season started earlier than usual this year.
The latest Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Poll found that while intention to vaccinate for flu has risen overall, one in four parents are still not sure about vaccinating their child for flu this year and one in five are not planning to vaccinate for flu.
There are also some concerning gaps in knowledge about flu, with one third of parents not aware that flu can cause serious illness in otherwise healthy children.
The poll of 2,001 parents of children aged between six months and 17 years found:
- Over half of Australian children (57%) are likely to have the flu vaccine in 2023, with 11% already vaccinated. Planned uptake is highest in children under five years old, with two thirds (63%) set to be vaccinated according to parents.
- One in four parents (25%) are not sure about vaccinating their child against the flu this year, holding concerns about safety or efficacy of the vaccine.
- One in three parents (37%) are not aware that healthy children can get seriously unwell from the flu.
- More than two in three parents (70%) who are hesitant about the flu vaccine for their child do not know that the flu vaccine is needed every year.
Flu returning
Dr Anthea Rhodes, paediatrician and Director of the RCH National Child Health Poll, said with the rising number of flu cases in the community it is vitally important for children to be vaccinated for flu as soon as possible.
‘We’ve had a couple of years with lower rates of flu because of various COVID safety measures, but we are now seeing it return and our families have lower immunity than before, making us all more vulnerable to the virus,’ she said.
‘This puts us at greater risk of a flu season that hits us faster and harder, and the flu vaccine is one of the best tools for defence.
‘Protection is particularly important for our young children and it’s encouraging to see higher numbers of parents intending to vaccinate for flu this winter season.’
Misconceptions
The poll report found that Australian parents do have some misconceptions and knowledge gaps when it came to the flu and the flu vaccine.
‘Many parents who were hesitant to vaccinate their child against flu did not know that you need to vaccinate against flu every year,’ said Dr Anthea Rhodes. ‘This is important because the flu virus changes every year, so the vaccine is updated to adjust to these new strains.
“The protection also wears off with time, so last year’s vaccine will no longer be effective. The best time to get the influenza vaccine is before winter and flu season.
‘It takes about two weeks to develop immunity following vaccination. While protection is generally expected to last for the whole season, optimal protection against the flu occurs within the first three to four months following vaccination, with protection waning after that time.
‘One quarter of parents also falsely believe that healthy children are unlikely to catch the flu and we found that one third didn’t realise children can get seriously unwell from flu,’ said Dr Rhodes. ‘Unfortunately, flu is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable hospitalisation for children under five and can cause serious illness and even death.’
Reasons for vaccine hesitancy among parents
These include beliefs that the flu vaccine may not be effective enough to be worth having, and concerns about side effects.
‘We know there are some parent misconceptions around “catching the flu” from the vaccine and a concern about children receiving too many vaccines,’ said Dr Rhodes.
‘Not only is the flu vaccine effective, it’s safe and recommended for all children, and free for children aged six months to five years.
‘If families are still concerned or unsure, I recommend they have a chat to their health care professional so they can make the best choice for their child and family. And the sooner the better, as flu season is well and truly under way.’
The RCH Poll was conducted in April 2023 and data were collected from a nationally representative sample of Australian parents. You can visit rchpoll.org.au to read the full report: Flu vaccine for children: Parents’ plans for 2023.
