New Zealand offers free flu shots to young children amid health system strain
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Health New Zealand began offering free flu vaccinations to all children under five after hospitals and clinics faced overwhelming numbers of patients with a highly contagious strain of influenza A.
Pharmac, the country’s drug-buying agency, made the change on September 1st. Between September 1st and September 20th, 3,843 children under five received the vaccine, a rate 3.5 times higher than the previous two weeks. The vaccinations extended beyond young children in some cases.
Auckland GP Mamaeroa David and her team vaccinated elders and parents alongside the children at a Kōhanga Reo, a Māori early childhood education center, including a three-day-old baby and a two-year-old who had never been vaccinated. David noted the families were eager to participate after a difficult flu season, with roughly a third of the Kōhanga Reo’s students absent due to illness.
Hospitalizations for children experiencing flu-like symptoms recently decreased after weeks of increases, but health officials cautioned that many respiratory illnesses continue to circulate. Health New Zealand continues to encourage vaccinations for children aged six months to five years, and the vaccine will remain available into the new year. It is also free for people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions.
