Call for free flu vaccine

STRONGER and better vaccines will be available for next year’s flu season, with manufacturers working to get them approved for use in Australia.

The moves come as the president of the Royal Australian College of General practitioners Dr Bastian Seidel called for the vaccine to made available free for everybody.

Australia had 217,000 confirmed flu cases this year, double the previous record, leading to experts calling for vaccines available elsewhere to be used here. Health Minister Greg Hunt has asked Chief Medical Officer Dr Brendan Murphy to investigate.