HEALTH Minister Greg Hunt has announced that the provision of influenza vaccinations for all staff in residential aged care homes will be compulsory, as a means of "maximising protection" for senior Australians ahead of the 2018 influenza season.
Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt noted that last winter aged care facilities where only a quarter of the staff had been vaccinated had a 25% higher rate of flu outbreaks than those with three quarters or more of their staff immunised.
Last year, just over 1,100 influenza-associated deaths were reported in Australia, with people aged 65 years and older accounting for more than 90% of these.
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