INFLUENZA statistics reflect well on community pharmacy: The latest national influenza data reflects very well on the amazing effort community pharmacy has put into raising vaccination rates across Australia.
Comparing 2017 to 2018, the national figures to this point last year showed 143,000 people had reportable cases of flu. As of 28 August this year, it was 25,000.
At this point last year, 610 people were reported as having lost their lives to flu. The comparable figure this year was 38.
As Minister Hunt said in a speech last week, that's an extraordinary achievement which is in part due to the nature of this year's virus, in part due to the strength and the targeted nature of the vaccines that are available, but also due to the higher level of vaccination across the community.
So, all the hard yards we have covered to get pharmacist vaccination up and running across all States and Territories - the lobbying, the training, and the day-to-day work - have made a significant and measurable contribution to a big improvement in public health and a significant downturn in the impact of influenza this year.
To view the data: www.health.gov.au/flureport.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 04 Sep 18
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