Source: Radio New Zealand
123RF
More than a quarter of a million children could qualify for free flu vaccines from next year.
Pharmac has proposed changes, including widening the access criteria to children aged six months to five years, which would take effect from 2027 if it decides to go ahead with them.
Pharmac’s director of pharmaceuticals, Adrienne Martin, said if the changes were approved, it would protect hundreds of thousands of young children and their whānau from serious illness.
Currently, the flu vaccine is funded for people aged 65 years and over, and for people under 65 with certain health conditions that put them at higher risk of serious illness.
Children under 4 qualified if they had been hospitalised for respiratory illness or had a history of significant respiratory illness, and those over six months old qualified by having a long-term medical condition like diabetes, asthma, or a heart condition.
The old vaccine brand would be replaced by two new vaccines, and remain funded for those groups, too.
Pharmac has also announced it’s considering changing the meningococcal ACWY and pneumococcal vaccine brands – changes which are also open for consultation.
“The proposal also includes widening access to a pneumococcal vaccine to help prevent people who have already had a serious infection from getting it again,” Martin said.
“For the approximately 700 people each year who would be eligible for this vaccine this would provide much needed reassurance and protection.”
Ministry of Health’s Dr Andrew Old. RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Ministry of Health’s deputy director-general for the Public Health Agency, Dr Andrew Old, said expanding access to vaccines helped protect more people and communities from serious illness.
“Immunisation is one of the most effective ways to reduce severe illness, hospitalisation, and the spread of infectious diseases,” he said.
Pharmac said consultation with the public, health professionals, and suppliers would be open until 5pm, Friday 19 June.
If approved, the influenza vaccine changes would come into effect from the start of the 2027 influenza season on 1 April 2027, with changes to meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccines from 1 July 2027.
Vaccines have track records
CSL Seqirus, the distributor of the new influenza vaccines – Fluad and Flucelvax – said in a statement the move would save lives, prevent hospitalisations and reduce strain on the health system.
Fluad, which would be given to over-65s, had been available globally for more than 20 years and 377 million doses had been distributed, it said.
Flucelvax, which would be given to children under six, had been used globally for 10 years, with 292 million doses. It would be manufactured at CSL Seqirus’ new facility in Melbourne, Australia.
Both vaccines were currently available in New Zealand, but were unfunded.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/pharmac-changes-could-see-more-than-250000-children-qualify-for-free-flu-jab/