Influenza (The Flu) Information

The flu is the most common vaccine preventable illness in Australia.

The flu is a highly contagious viral infection. It may be mild in some, but it can cause very serious illness, hospitalisation and even death in otherwise healthy people. It is especially serious for babies, people aged over 65 years, people with underlying medical conditions and pregnant women.

Vaccination is a safe and effective way to help protect you from the flu. By getting vaccinated, you also help protect those that are too ill or too young to be vaccinated and help slow the spread of the disease.

It is important to get the flu vaccine every year. The virus strains that cause the flu change each year and the vaccine changes each year to match these strains. At Atara Pharmacy we will be using the 2024 quadrivalent vaccine for the flu vaccination service.

Who is recommended to receive a flu vaccination?

Everyone over the age of 6 months is recommended to receive an annual flu vaccination.

The Australian Government’s National Immunisation Program (NIP) provides a free flu vaccines to the following eligible Medicare card holders:

⦁ People aged 65 and older

⦁ Pregnant women (at any stage of pregnancy)

⦁ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

⦁ People aged 6 months and older with certain medical conditions that increase their chance of severe influenza and its complications

⦁ Children aged 6 months to less than 5 years old (not available in pharmacy)

Please note, NIP vaccines can be limited, and not all pharmacies or pharmacist immunisers will have access to these free vaccines at the time of your appointment. If you believe you may be eligible for a free vaccine, it is recommended that you speak with your pharmacist prior to making your appointment to confirm availability of the free vaccine.

If you do not meet the NIP eligibility, or the pharmacy does not have the free vaccines available at the pharmacy, they will discuss your options with you.

For more information about Influenza and vaccinations, visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page click Here

We may disclose your personal information to third parties for a purpose directly related to your vaccine administration. This includes (but is not limited to) disclosure of your personal information to the Australian Immunisation Register, Medicare, medical personnel who are the service providers of the immunisation, other third parties as required by law. We may use and disclose your personal information to third parties to assist in contact tracing and the management of the Coronavirus pandemic by health officials. This includes (but is not limited to) providing your personal information to the relevant departments of health (or similar government bodies or organisations). We may additionally use and disclose your personal information in accordance with our privacy policy