The Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA) is urging people to get their flu vaccine now to ensure that they are well-equipped to combat this year’s looming flu season.
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Last year was the first year that pharmacists across Australia were able to administer flu vaccinations in community pharmacies.
Last year was also a particularly bad year for influenza in Australia.
“Last year’s flu season saw more than 230,000 confirmed cases of the disease, with a higher-than-normal mortality rate attributed to the disease, “ a spokesperson for the PGA said.
Tania Dwyer from Seeto, Dodd and Dwyer Merimbula Pharmacy said that last year’s flu season was the worst she had seen in her 11 years working in the area.
“The patterns are changing, that is what I am noticing,” she said.
“There are more middle-aged, seemingly healthy people adversely affected, and in some parts of Australia, dying from the flu.”
The flu season is also starting earlier, Ms Dwyer said.
“In the first quarter of 2018, 1000 more have been diagnosed than last year.”
A South Coast pharmacist who did not wish to be named said the rising incidence of flu in the community is concerning.
“There are sections of our community that are highly compromised, including the elderly and those with chronic illness,” they said.
“There are some that just cannot afford to catch something virulent.”
Ms Dwyer said last year’s experience should provide a “good lesson” about the importance of extensive community immunisation.
She also said the option to receive the vaccination at your local pharmacy is part of a broader public health initiative.
“The government support pharmacy-led vaccination in the interest of promoting herd immunity,” she said.
“The pharmacy option should make it easier for people. The difference is convenience. You don’t have to wait for a doctor’s appointment.”
While the South Coast pharmacist expressed reservations about the pharmacy-led model, saying pharmacists do not have access to people’s medical history, Ms Dwyer said pharmacists have procedures in place to ensure the safety of those seeking the flu vaccination in their stores.
“Before we vaccinate customers they must fill out a consent form. We screen patients if we have concerns and refer them to a doctor,” she said.
People who are considering the flu vaccine should also be aware of misleading information about the vaccine, Ms Dwyer said.
“It is a fiction that you can get the flu from the flu shot,” she said. “It is categorically impossible because it is not a live vaccine.”
Ms Dwyer said that the right time to vaccinate is now.
“If you get it done now the vaccine peaks in four months, and then steadily declines.”
