Over 70% of parents said they'd prioritize vaccination without a needle
In Victoria, a quiet but consequential shift is underway in how children encounter one of medicine's oldest rituals. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute has launched the SNIFFLES study, enrolling 270 children aged two to nine to compare a nasal spray flu vaccine with the traditional needle, at a moment when both vaccination rates and influenza cases are rising. Beyond the immediate question of which approach better protects Australian children, the study reaches toward something larger — correcting a long-standing imbalance in global flu surveillance that has left the Southern Hemisphere's immune data largely absent from the decisions that shape vaccines for the entire world.
- Australia recorded more than 30,000 confirmed influenza cases in the first five months of 2026, with children under nine bearing the heaviest burden — the urgency of the study is not abstract.
- A needle-free flu vaccine has existed safely in the UK and US for years, yet Australian children are only now encountering it for the first time, exposing a gap in both access and research.
- More than 70 percent of Australian parents surveyed said a needle-free option would make them more likely to vaccinate their child — fear of needles is not a minor inconvenience but a measurable barrier to public health.
- Blood samples from the study will travel to the WHO, where Southern Hemisphere immune data has long been underrepresented in the global decisions that determine which flu strains vaccines target each year.
- With parents free to choose their child's vaccine type, the study is designed to reflect real-world conditions rather than controlled ideals, making its findings more likely to translate into practical policy change.
For the first time, Australian children will have a choice about how they receive their annual flu vaccine. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute has launched the SNIFFLES study — the Southern Hemisphere Nasal Influenza Flu Vaccine Experience Study — enrolling 270 Victorian children aged two to nine to compare the nasal spray FluMist against the traditional injectable vaccine. Though FluMist has been used safely in the UK and US for years, 2026 marks its first year of availability in Australia, creating a rare window to study how Australian children's immune systems respond to both approaches.
Associate Professor Shidan Tosif frames the study as solving two connected problems. The first is clinical: determining which vaccine generates the stronger immune response in young children. The second is global in scope. Blood samples collected during the study will be sent to the World Health Organization, addressing a significant blind spot in flu surveillance. The WHO's decisions about which strains to include in each year's vaccine have long been weighted toward Northern Hemisphere data, leaving Australian children's immune responses largely uncounted. Including them could improve how well vaccines match the strains actually circulating in this part of the world.
The needle-free option carries weight beyond comfort. A 2025 survey found that over 70 percent of Australian parents would be more likely to prioritize flu vaccination if a needle-free alternative existed — a finding that reframes hesitancy not as ideology but as a practical barrier that a gentler delivery method can lower. That matters in a year when Victoria alone has recorded more than 5,500 confirmed influenza cases, and children under nine represent the largest share of infections nationally.
Parents in the study may choose which vaccine their child receives, a design that mirrors real-world decision-making and strengthens the relevance of whatever the data reveals. If the nasal spray proves to generate comparable or stronger protection while also reducing the friction that keeps families from vaccinating, the implications for future campaigns — and for the children who bear the greatest burden of flu each season — could be substantial.
For the first time, Australian children will have a choice when it comes to their annual flu shot. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute has launched a study that will let 270 Victorian children aged two to nine receive either a nasal spray vaccine or the traditional needle-based injection, giving researchers a chance to understand how each approach shapes the body's immune response.
The study, called SNIFFLES—the Southern Hemisphere Nasal Influenza Flu Vaccine Experience Study—arrives at a moment when vaccination rates among children have been slipping. FluMist, the nasal spray option, has been used safely in the UK and US for years, but this is its first year of availability in Australia. That timing creates an unusual research opportunity: to gather data on how Australian children's immune systems respond to both vaccine types, and to do it while the product is still new enough to warrant careful study.
Associate Professor Shidan Tosif, who leads the project, frames the work as addressing two separate but connected problems. The first is straightforward: understanding which vaccine approach generates the strongest immune response in children. The second is more subtle but arguably more important. Blood samples collected from the study will be sent to the World Health Organization, filling a significant gap in global flu surveillance. Currently, the WHO's vaccine strain decisions are heavily weighted toward data from the Northern Hemisphere. Australian children's immune responses have been largely absent from that calculus. By including Southern Hemisphere data, the research could help ensure that flu vaccines are better matched to the strains actually circulating in this region, and by extension, improve global preparedness.
The needle-free option matters more than it might initially appear. A 2025 survey of Australian parents found that over 70 percent said they would be more likely to prioritize their child's flu vaccination if a needle-free alternative existed. The nasal spray is gentler on anxious children and their parents alike—no needle, no injection site soreness, no fear response. For families hesitant about vaccination, that difference can be the deciding factor between getting protected and staying vulnerable.
The timing of the study also reflects a real problem on the ground. Between January and mid-May 2026, Australia recorded more than 30,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza. Victoria alone accounted for over 5,500 of those cases. Children aged nine and younger have borne the largest share of infections. The TGA has already approved FluMist for use in children aged two to 17, clearing the regulatory path for the study to proceed.
Parents enrolled in SNIFFLES will be able to choose which vaccine their child receives, a design choice that acknowledges both practical reality and research ethics. Some families will prefer the nasal spray; others will stick with what they know. The study will capture immune response data from both groups, building a picture of how each vaccine works in Australian children's bodies. Those insights could reshape how vaccination campaigns are designed and promoted in coming years, particularly if the nasal spray proves to generate comparable or superior immune protection while also removing a significant barrier to uptake.
Citas Notables
The nasal spray has been safely used for years in countries like the UK and US, but this year is available in Australia for the first time. This has created the perfect opportunity to study immune responses in children.— Associate Professor Shidan Tosif, lead of the SNIFFLES project
Over 70% of parents felt that a needle-free option would make them more likely to prioritise vaccinating their child.— 2025 National Vaccination Insights project
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does it matter that this is the first time FluMist is available in Australia? Couldn't researchers have studied it elsewhere?
They could have, but the data wouldn't tell us how Australian children respond to Australian flu strains. The WHO's vaccine decisions are built mostly on Northern Hemisphere data. We've been invisible in that process.
So this study is partly about making Australian children visible to global health decisions?
Exactly. The blood samples go to the WHO. When they choose next year's vaccine strains, they'll have data from kids in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time. That's not just academic—it means better vaccines for this region.
The survey said 70 percent of parents would be more likely to vaccinate if there was no needle. That's a huge number. Why hasn't this been available until now?
Regulatory approval takes time, and there's no commercial pressure to bring a vaccine to a small market like Australia if it's not already established. But once it was approved, researchers saw the opportunity immediately.
Are there any risks to the nasal spray that the needle injection doesn't have?
It's been used safely in the UK and US for years, so the safety profile is established. The study will help us understand if that safety record holds in Australian children specifically.
What happens if the nasal spray generates a weaker immune response than the injection?
Then we'd know that, and parents could make informed choices. But the real win is if it's comparable—because then you've removed a major barrier to vaccination without sacrificing protection.