The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners is concerned vaccine providers are already peddling their products, though influenza season typically strikes from June to September.

August is typically the peak time for the virus in Australia.

“Urging patients to receive their flu vaccination too early in the year may put them at serious risk,” RACGP president Dr Bastian Seidel said.

“The last thing we want to see this year is patients doing the right thing and receiving a flu vaccination, only for the vaccination wear off by the time we reach flu season.”

Though the philosophy for flu vaccinations had once been ‘the earlier, the better’, Murray Primary Health Network central Victoria regional medical advisor Dr Ewa Piejko said the thinking had changed.

“It’s actually better holding off a bit longer,” she said.

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Recent evidence suggests the flu vaccination’s protective effects can start to wear off after three to four months.

Hence, the RACGP said the timing of vaccination was critical.

“Your GP will know when to provide you the influenza vaccination, to ensure you have the best possible protection when the flu season begins,” Dr Seidel said.

The organisation is advising people to consult their GPs to ensure they are vaccinated at the right time and are protected against influenza.

“Specialist GPs are up-to-date on when the flu season will affect Australian patients and will continue to offer vaccinations throughout the flu season,” Dr Seidel said.

According to the RACGP, the influenza virus affects about 350,000 Australians a year and is responsible for an average of 3000 deaths and 18,000 hospital admissions.

More than 11000 people Australia-wide died from the flu last year, many of whom were over the age of 65.

You might have noticed advertisements for flu vaccinations in your day-to-day travels around Bendigo and central Victoria.

Chemist Warehouse Bendigo pharmacist manager Romi Hadi said lots of people had already made bookings for the pharmacy’s ‘Roll up your sleeve’ promotion, which starts at the store next week.

Quadrivalent strain vaccinations will be available for $11 from selected stores throughout the country until May 19.

Clinics started offering the promotion from this week.

“Your best protection against the flu is to get vaccinated,” the Chemist Warehouse website states.

“Having your flu shot in preparation before the height of the flu season significantly reduces your risk of becoming infected and spreading the virus to others.”

Mr Hadi’s views were in keeping with those of his employer.

“If your immune system is weak then you can’t get it,” he said of the vaccination.

In his experience, availability of a flu shot weighed more heavily on the minds of customers than most other factors.

Mr Hadi said Chemist Warehouse had a flu vaccination available to the public before most other outlets, including GPs.

Dr Piejko said there were a number of reasons why vaccines were made available when they were.

One was the formulation of the vaccination itself.

Each year’s vaccine is specially formulated to suit the strains of influenza most affecting the community – as much as is practicable. 

“Given the outcomes and deaths from influenza last year, one of the issues was thought to be that patients had been vaccinated too early and there was a new strain of influenza due a a virus mutation from the time the vaccine was produced and when the flu season arrived,” Dr Piejko said.

Once formulated, the vaccine then has to be approved.

“There may be a bit more of a delay this year as there will be more strains in the vaccine,” Dr Piejko said.

“In 2017, most GPs practices did not receive their allocated supply until around April. We expect it to be similar this year.”

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April was the earliest Dr Piejko said she would recommend people book in for flu vaccinations.

“It is terrific that people, particularly the at risk vulnerable elderly group, are very keen to get their influenza vaccine as soon as it becomes available to ensure they are covered,” she said.

“The best advice would be to discuss this with their GPs, who will be continuously receiving information from the Department of Health as disease surveillance assists in detecting predicted trends for 2018.”

Dr Piejko encouraged people experiencing an infectious condition such as influenza to practice good hygiene, including washing their hands and avoiding coughing or sneezing into their hands.

Using a handkerchief, a tissue or even sneezing into one’s own arm was preferable to spreading the virus through their hands.

Other suggestions included minimising other people’s exposure to the illness by taking leave from work and delaying any unnecessary visits.