Lifting flu vax rate in younger people could save 500 lives annually, report says
Targeting the under 65s could mean administering an extra 2 million vaccines each year: Productivity Commission.
It is estimated NSW could save about 500 lives and up to $1.3 billion every year if authorities boosted influenza vaccination rates for people aged under 65.
A NSW Productivity Commission report, released on Friday, found at least $500 million could be saved statewide annually if 55% of under 65s had a yearly flu shot.
At present, 25% of the cohort gets an annual flu vaccine, the commission said, forecasting the overhaul would mean vaccinating up to two million more people per year.
The approach would alter current public health strategies that focus on vaccinating people aged over 65, young children, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems, it said.
