Children to get free flu vaccine via nasal spray in NSW, with minister spruiking ‘needle-free alternative’ | New South Wales
Hundreds of thousands of children will get free access to a painless, needle-free flu vaccine as governments try to stem falling vaccination rates.
New South Wales has become the latest state to offer free nasal spray flu vaccine to children, following Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
The needle-free vaccine is administered as a spray into each nostril, making it a gentle and painless option that can make it easier for parents to vaccinate their children.
“I know how uncomfortable getting your child vaccinated can be for some parents, so being able to offer a needle-free alternative is a real win for these parents,” NSW health minister Ryan Park said on Tuesday.
NSW and SA provide treatment free to children aged 2 to 4 years. Queensland offers it to children aged two to five and WA funds it for children aged two to 11.
The spray could play an important role in reviving flagging flu vaccination numbers.
The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone over six months of age, but vaccination rates for people under five, who are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from flu, have fallen significantly since 2020.
According to the National Center for Immunization Research and Surveillance, as of September 2025, only 25.7% of children under five had received a flu vaccine, compared to 44.6% in 2020.
Less than a quarter of this demographic will be vaccinated in NSW in 2025; This is well below the 40% target set in the province’s 2024-28 vaccination strategy.
There were more than 24,500 cases of flu in children under five in NSW during the previous flu season.
Emergency departments statewide had more than 4,600 visits and more than 960 hospitalizations for flu-like illness in children under five in 2025.
This represented a 40% increase in both submissions and acceptances.
While the nasal spray is available to anyone over the age of two and under 18 in Australia, those who do not live in NSW, SA, WA or Queensland, or are not in the funded age ranges, will need to pay around $50 to $70 for the vaccine.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Victoria has called for free access to the spray to be expanded to boost vaccine uptake and help ease pressure on the state’s hospitals.
Conventional flu vaccination remains free for children aged six months to five, as well as pregnant women, Aboriginal people aged six months and over, anyone over 65 and those with serious health conditions.
