During April, the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service joined the global health community in celebrating World Immunisation Week 2025.

Vaccines are one of humanity’s greatest achievements. Over the past 50 years, they have saved more than 154 million lives, that’s six lives every minute, every day, for five decades.

For those working in healthcare, World Immunisation Week is a timely reminder of our shared responsibility to protect ourselves, our patients, and our broader community from preventable illness.

Staying up to date with recommended vaccines including the annual influenza vaccine and a pertussis booster every ten years helps safeguard the most vulnerable members of our population, including babies, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.

Flu season has started early this year, making influenza vaccination more important than ever.

The good news is that staff uptake has been strong.

Thanks to the hard work and flexibility of our Infection Prevention and Control teams and Immunisation Practice Nurses across the Wide Bay, over 2,000 staff members have already been vaccinated and requests continue to come in daily.

This coordinated effort has been essential to our organisation’s preparation for the flu season, and we thank all staff who have rolled up their sleeves and made the choice to protect themselves and others.

If you haven’t yet had your flu vaccine, or if you have questions about staff vaccination requirements, please contact your Infection Control team.

Members of the public should contact their local GP.