Influenza is the most common vaccine preventable disease in Australia and a common cause of hospitalisation for children.

PAEDS has been conducting surveillance for hospitalised influenza in collaboration with the Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN), led by Professor Allen Cheng. Two sites (The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Perth Children’s Hospital) joined FluCAN in 2014 and additional PAEDS sites joined the network in 2017 with the assistance of an NHMRC partnership grant and, since 2019, Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing funding.

This research has demonstrated the previously unrecognised burden of influenza in paediatric hospitals, explored risk factors for severe disease, evaluated antiviral and vaccine use and estimated vaccine effectiveness on an annual basis (Blyth, et al. Eurosurveillance 2016; Blyth, et al. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2019).

Young children (under 5 years of age), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children with underlying medical conditions remain at significantly increased risk of hospitalised influenza.

One in 10 children admitted to hospital with influenza are admitted to the intensive care unit. While most hospitalisations are short (less than 3 days), many children have prolonged hospitalisation. Although uncommon, influenza-associated deaths continue to occur.

Vaccination is the most effective prevention strategy we have. Both the influenza vaccine composition and circulating influenza virus strains change each year.

PAEDS-FluCAN has demonstrated vaccine effectiveness in young children and children with comorbidities. In addition, the effectiveness of vaccinating pregnant women to prevent infant disease has been demonstrated.

Vaccine effectiveness estimates are provided to the national influenza committee to inform strain choice for future annual vaccines.

PAEDS-FluCAN has led advocacy to highlight the need for vaccination in children. Vaccine coverage has been variable in recent years – somewhat challenged by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic – in both children and pregnant women. PAEDS is also represented on the Australian Respiratory Infections Surveillance Committee.

Commonwealth and state governments now provide free influenza vaccination for:

• all children aged 6 months to 5 years
• all children aged 6 months and older with underlying medical conditions
• all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from 6 months of age
• pregnant women.

Click on the tile below to view the latest paediatric Influenza case data

Paediatric influenza in Australia

View the latest paediatric influenza case data