This position paper is concerned with the current Vaccine Coverage Rate (VCR) for seasonal influenza and outlines some simple effective strategies to improve the vaccination rate and potentially mitigate the impact of future influenza epidemics. Several initiatives and practical recommendations have been put forward to help increase the VCR for all Australians.
A significant component of the position paper is calling on the Government to advertise direct to the public as a call to action to General Practitioners (GPs), pharmacists and Healthcare professional (HCP) immunisers.
Twelve public key messages and thee HCP key messages have also been put forward for use by the Government, GPs, pharmacy and HCP Immunisers in any flu campaigns.