Australia’s worst flu season on record sparks warning from doctors as vaccine hesitancy deepens

Australia has endured its worst flu season on record, with doctors warning vaccine complacency remains a major public health concern.

In a study adjusted for population, 2025 has seen the highest rate of lab-confirmed influenza cases in the nation’s history.

Dr Rebekah Hoffman, a GP and medical educator, said the official case numbers likely underestimate the true scale of infection.

“These figures only capture people who’ve had lab-confirmed swabs,” she said.

“The real number is probably far higher; many people do home tests or just soldier on without reporting it.”

New national data confirms 2025 as the worst flu year on record, with 1.5 per cent of Australians recording lab-confirmed infections, 12.5 per cent on last year’s all-time high.

Vaccination rates remain worryingly low.

Dr Hoffman said the record outbreak reflected a mix of dropping vaccination rates and shifting attitudes since the pandemic.

“We were really good during COVID about staying home when sick, but Australians have slipped back into a ‘soldier-on’ mentality,” she said.

“We need to rethink that, resting and isolating when unwell protects not only you but everyone around you.”

She also warned of growing “vaccine fatigue” and misinformation.

“Some people simply don’t realise the flu shot is an annual vaccine that wears off after four or five months,” Dr Hoffman said.

“And there’s been a lot of negative noise on social media, particularly targeting parents, which can make people hesitant.”

Only 25 per cent of children aged six months to five years received a flu shot this year, while uptake among over-60s fell to 60.5 per cent.

It has been confirmed that four states, including Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia, have committed to offering free nasal spray vaccines for children next year.

A move which has been welcomed by the Royal Australian College of GPs, which says it could ease fears among parents whose kids dread needles.

“This is not a record we want to be breaking; we must boost vaccination rates and reverse this trend,” college president Michael Wright said.

“We must fight complacency and get more jabs in arms to help keep as many patients as possible out of hospital and ensure that next year’s flu case number figures are heading in the right direction.

“Getting vaccinated not only help keeps yourself as safe as possible but also your friends and family members. This should act as a wake-up call to all patients across Australia.”

The college is urging other states and territories to follow suit and roll out free nasal vaccines for children in 2026.

Dr Hoffman said the introduction of needle-free nasal vaccines could be a game-changer for children and parents.

“It’s been used successfully in the UK and Europe for years and is just as effective, but far more acceptable for kids who fear needles.”

Dr Wright said the nasal vaccine had been successfully introduced in the UK, Italy, Finland and Spain.

“Many kids are fearful of needles, which can stall vaccination efforts – particularly as two-thirds of parents say the distress they feel when thinking about vaccinating their child acts as a barrier.”

NSW has been the hardest hit this year, recording more than 153,000 cases, well ahead of Victoria’s 95,480.

Nationwide, children under five accounted for 10.9 per cent of all infections, while one-third of cases were in patients under 15.