Experts Urge Aussies To Ensure They Get Their 2018 Flu Jab

Horror season predicted


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Health experts are urging Aussies to get a flu jab as soon as possible amid predictions of a horror winter flu season in 2018.

With 250,000 cases of influenza across the last twelve months including 1,100 deaths, NSW Health Pathology’s Professor Dominic Dwyer told A Current Affair scientists have been pushed to increase the strength of vaccines.

“It’s been realised that the older you are, the less effective the influenza vaccine is,” he said.

“There’s been a lot of work in trying to get a stronger vaccine for older people and in Australia, we’ve now got two examples of that.”

The comments come as the NSW Government will offer free influenza vaccines to all children in NSW aged from six months to under five years of age who are not currently eligible for influenza vaccine under the National Immunisation Program (NIP).

How can I prevent getting influenza?

  • Ensure soap and disposable towels are near sinks for hand washing.
  • Consider having dispensers of alcohol-based hand cleanser in the home.
  • Have a supply of disposable tissues available.
  • Crockery and other eating utensils used by someone sick with flu should not be shared with other members of the household, until washed.
  • Wash towels, bedding and clothing used by a person sick with flu with warm water and detergent.
  • Commonly touched surfaces such as taps, doorknobs, tables, kettle handles and the fridge door handle should be cleaned frequently with normal household detergent.

Source: NSW Health

Triple M Newsroom

5 April 2018

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Triple M Newsroom




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