AusVaxSafety commences routine surveillance of 2025 seasonal influenza vaccines

With 2025 seasonal influenza (‘flu’) vaccines now available across Australia, AusVaxSafety has commenced active surveillance to monitor the safety of the vaccines in near-real time.

AusVaxSafety sends out a short online survey via SMS or email to individuals (or their parents/carers) who receive their flu vaccine at general practice and Aboriginal Medical Services sites participating in AusVaxSafety across Australia, allowing participants to report any adverse events (side effects) they may have experienced after vaccination.

De-identified survey responses are analysed weekly to monitor for any signs of unexpected rates of serious adverse events to ensure that vaccines are performing as safely as expected in real-world conditions.

Data are also shared on the AusVaxSafety website, providing a profile of what to expect in the days following flu vaccination and are an excellent resource for immunisation providers when counselling patients on flu vaccination.

AusVaxSafety has monitored the safety of flu vaccines administered to Australians of all ages since 2017. Since then, more than 1 million people (or their parents/carers) have provided details about any side effects experienced after flu vaccination.

Flu vaccine data will be available on the AusVaxSafety website from the week commencing 14 April 2025 and will be updated weekly for the duration of the 2025 flu season.