Europe, Australia report low flu vaccine uptake as flu activity soars Down Under

News brief

Today the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said European nations must work to increase their seasonal influenza vaccine uptake as the respiratory infection season approaches, especially among healthcare workers and vulnerable groups, while Australia reports low vaccine coverage as flu cases skyrocket.

Across the continent, vaccination levels are targeted toward 75%, but during the 2024-25 season most countries reported flu vaccination coverage well below 50%, the ECDC said.

“Only Denmark (76%), Ireland (75%), Portugal (71%) and Sweden (68%) reached or approached the 75% EU coverage target. Among healthcare workers, this level was even lower, with a median of 32%,” ECDC wrote.

Only 1 in 4 young Australian kids have been vaccinated

Australian health officials also said seasonal influenza vaccine uptake has been low during a record-breaking flu season.

More than 410,000 lab-confirmed cases of have been reported, but only 25.7% of children aged 6 months to 5 years were vaccinated so far in 2025. The previous high for cases, set last year, was 365,000.

This is not a record we want to be breaking, we must boost vaccination rates and reverse this trend.

"This is not a record we want to be breaking, we must boost vaccination rates and reverse this trend,” said the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) President Michael Wright, MBBS, PhD, MPH, in a press release from the RACGP. "This should act as a wake-up call to all patients across Australia."

Overall flu cases are 10.8% higher than last year across Australia. As of yesterday, there were 17,600 lab-confirmed cases in October, more than double the 7,201 cases seen in the same month last year. Vaccine uptake in people older than 65 years is at 60.5%, the lowest since 2020.

Typhoid conjugate vaccine highly effective in endemic settings, study finds

News brief

Chris Dall, MA

Woman in Africa using spigot — danefromspain / iStock

A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies involving more than 24,000 children shows that the typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) is highly effective in preventing typhoid fever in countries where the infection is endemic, researchers reported today in Vaccine.

For the study, a team of Australian and Indonesian researchers reviewed and analyzed four studies comparing 24,180 recipients (mean age, 5.5 years) of Typbar TCV in Pakistan, India, and Zimbabwe with unvaccinated children. Typbar TCV is one of three vaccines currently recommended and licensed by the World Health Organization for preventing typhoid fever, an infection caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi.

Although global incidence of typhoid fever fell from 11 million cases in 2017 to 7 million in 2021, the burden remains high in Africa and Asia, and TCVs are viewed as critical tools in preventing the disease. But only 10 countries to date have added TCVs to their national immunization programs.

"The aim is to generate evidence on the real-world effectiveness of TCV to guide policymakers, global health funders, health professionals, and researchers in making evidence-based decisions on TCV introduction and implementation strategies in typhoid-endemic countries," the study authors wrote.

87% VE in preventing culture-confirmed typhoid

The pooled odds ratio (OR) for the four studies was 0.13, indicating vaccine effectiveness (VE) of 87% in preventing culture-confirmed typhoid compared with unvaccinated children. The VE for preventing combined suspected, probable, and culture-confirmed typhoid cases was 55%, while a single study showed a 97% VE for preventing extensively drug-resistant S Typhi infections. A sensitivity analysis of eight additional studies found higher VE among children over age 5 compared with children under 5 (87% vs 77%) and a significant decline in protection 4 to 5 years after vaccination.

"Typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCV) demonstrate significant real-world effectiveness in preventing culture-confirmed, probable, suspected, and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid cases in endemic regions," the authors concluded. "This systematic review and meta-analysis supports the implementation of TCV into national immunisation programs in typhoid-endemic countries."

Wyoming notes first CWD detection in Elk Hunt Area 61

News brief

Mary Van Beusekom, MS

Wyoming Elk Hunt Area 61 is now positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) after a cow elk was found dead from the fatal neurodegenerative illness near Cody, according to a news release yesterday from the state game and fish department.

Part of the Cody Elk Herd, in which CWD was first identified in 2018, Hunt Area 61 is located in the northwestern part of Wyoming. Cody is about 52 miles south of the Montana border, near the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The hunt area abuts CWD-positive elk hunt areas 58 (disease detected in 2023), 59 (2022), 52 (2025), and 66 (2018).

Free CWD testing

"Hunters can assist in data collection by submitting samples for free CWD testing, especially when hunting in priority or mandatory CWD testing areas," the release said.

Hunters can assist in data collection by submitting samples for free CWD testing, especially when hunting in priority or mandatory CWD testing areas.

CWD is a disease caused by infectious misfolded proteins called prions that infects cervids such as deer, elk, and moose. Prions spread from cervid to cervid and through environmental contamination. While no cases have been identified in people, health officials advise against eating the meat of sick or infected animals and urge precautions when handling their carcasses.