Changing the Conversation on Adult Influenza Vaccination: Australia

To promote public awareness of influenza vaccination, the Federal Department of Health (DOH) launched a national campaign annually with information disseminated in form of the national immunization schedule, real-time news releases, hard-copied fact sheets and a consultation hotline.

This government-led campaign focuses on universal communication to the general public, yet messages specifically targeting older Australians and those with chronic conditions are relatively limited and / or difficult to locate amongst more generic messages.  Despite the availability of fact sheets and posters for indigenous people and care providers, who are recognized as at-risk groups, specific educational resources for older persons and those with chronic diseases are largely absent.

The campaigns led by patient organizations and aging networks including Heart Foundation, Lung foundation, NSA and COTA respectively, as a complementary practice, are still underdeveloped.  These agencies relied largely on single channel for disseminating messages.  While they, to some extent, appreciate the broad value of vaccination and has recognized the critical nature of this public health intervention to its members, their communication methods could be limited in reach.