The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has praised the NSW Government's expansion of needle-free nasal spray flu vaccination to children aged 2–17 and echoed its call for GPs to offer FluMist to children and adolescents.
Previously, only children aged 2–4 were eligible for the NSW Nasal Spray Influenza Vaccination Program.
The RACGP called for older children in NSW to be eligible for free intranasal flu vaccines in its 2026–27 pre-budget submission. The change also follows strong demand for access for older children among families.
NSW Health said the expanded eligibility aims to improve overall influenza vaccine coverage, reduce vaccine wastage, and strengthen public health outcomes ahead of winter.
RACGP NSW&ACT Chair and Sydney GP Dr Rebekah Hoffman praised the move.
"The flu can be really harmful and disruptive to a kid's life, and they don't lose their fear of needles when they turn five, or 15," she said.
"It's going to be great for anyone with children and teenagers, especially as we head into the flu season, winter sports, and preparation for HSC assessments and exams.
"I paid privately for a FluMist vaccine for my nine- and 10-year-olds. Now they want it every year. They said it was the best news, even as the children of a GP.
"'I love technology!' was what my son said after his nasal vaccine, and he's right. This is us adopting a safe new way to protect yourself from the flu, but more importantly, it makes that protection easy."
So far in 2026, there have been over 11,000 laboratory-confirmed flu cases in NSW, and over 31,000 nationally.
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