Influenza

Influenza vaccination has been on the decline since 2023, especially in many priority risk groups. Vaccination is a safe and effective way to protect against serious disease caused by influenza, and the flu vaccine is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and over. Flu vaccine can be given anytime, but the highest level of protection happens in the first three to four months after vaccination.

This webpage contains information and resources to support you and your team throughout the 2025 influenza vaccination season.

2025 NIP flu vaccine supply delays

The National Immunisation Program (NIP) has experienced a short delay in the supply of Vaxigrip® Tetra until early April.

FluQuadri® vaccine will be supplied as an alternative for children 6 months to under 5 years until the supply of Vaxigrip® Tetra becomes available.

Due to the late addition of FluQuadri® to the NIP, vaccine packaging will not be labelled with “Government Funded Program – 2025” like other NIP flu vaccines. Immunisation providers must ensure this vaccine is clearly labelled as NIP-funded and only used for children aged 6 months to less than 5 years.

2025 NIP influenza program resources have been updated to include this change, including: ATAGI statement, NIP program advice, NSW Health website, and the Department website.

For clinical advice, refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook Influenza (flu) chapter.

2025 influenza NIP eligibility

In 2025, a free seasonal influenza vaccine is funded under the NIP for the following groups at higher risk of complications from influenza:

all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 6 months and over
all children aged 6 months to less than 5 years of age
all individuals aged 5 years and over with medical risk conditions
pregnant women
people aged 65 years and over

It’s never too late to get the flu vax

It is never too late to get an influenza vaccination, since influenza can circulate in the community all year round. Vaccination should be recommended for everyone 6 months and older. Children under nine years getting their influenza vaccination for the first time need two doses of vaccine, given one month apart. Influenza vaccination is recommended for pregnant women at any stage during pregnancy.

Influenza resources

The 2025 Program Advice for Health Professionals is a valuable resource which outlines key information about the influenza vaccine program, including NIP-eligible groups, the different vaccines funded for each group, and other important considerations.

The NSW Health 2025 Influenza Vaccination Provider Toolkit is also a comprehensive source of information and can assist with the implementation of your influenza vaccination program.

As always, the Australian Immunisation Handbook is an up-to-date source of information on the influenza vaccine and associated recommendations.

Please find other useful influenza resources below:

Provider resources:

Consumer resources:

Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation (SKAI) – Information and fact sheets to educate patients about vaccination
Lucy’s story – a video to remind guardians of the dangers of influenza in young children
Resource collection – a range of resources providing information on getting vaccinated against influenza in 2025
Give flu the boot – Flu vaccination for First Nations people

AIR: How to correctly record flu vaccination

Under the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015 it is mandatory for vaccination providers to report all influenza vaccinations to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). Influenza vaccines administered overseas by a recognised vaccination provider can also be reported to AIR.

Recording the correct “Vaccine type” for flu vaccines:

Antenatal: all flu vaccines administered to an individual who is pregnant
(Antenatal option should always be selected for pregnant individuals, regardless of whether the vaccine is funded privately or under a Commonwealth/State program)
NIP/Commonwealth: all NIP-funded flu vaccines administered to an NIP-eligible patient
Private: all privately funded flu vaccines administered to a patient

Overseas flu vaccines

If a flu vaccine was administered overseas and the batch number is not available, enter notrecorded (one word, no spaces) into AIR.

For more information, see Submitting information using the AIR site.

2025 flu vaccine safety data

AusVaxSafety has commenced its routine surveillance of flu vaccines in use in Australia in 2025.

AusVaxSafety has monitored the safety of flu vaccines administered to Australians of all ages since 2017, gathering details about any side effects experienced in the days after flu vaccination from more than 1 million people over that period – including over 200,000 surveys completed in 2024.

Quality Improvement activities

The Practice Incentive Program Quality Improvement (PIP QI) focuses on 10 Quality Improvement Measures (QIMs) – three of which are influenza QI activities.

Flu vaccine in patients aged 65 and over: POLAR walkthrough, PenCAT recipe, PDSA template
Flu vaccine in patients with diabetes: POLAR walkthrough, PenCAT recipe, PDSA template
Flu vaccine in patients with COPD: POLAR walkthrough, PenCAT recipe, PDSA template

Education

NSW Influenza Vaccination Update 2025 – webinar
CESPHN Annual Immunisation Update 2025 – webinar
CESPHN QI Influenza Vaccine Webinar – how to use PENCAT/POLAR to increase influenza vaccine uptake in General Practice