Leading doctor says new flu policy is “over the top”

Leading sports physician Dr Peter Brukner has characterised Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s belief in a ‘no jab, no play’ flu shot policy for the NRL as “a bit over the top”.

The Prime Minister said players who refuse to get the flu shot should be banned from competing.

Speaking on Sunday Sport, Dr Brukner said while encouraging people to get the flu shot is good advice, it’s not so straight forward.

“The flu vaccine is far from 100% effective” he said.

“There’s lots of different flu strains, and they’re constantly changing … so things can change a lot.”

Dr Brukner described the AFL’s policy of a recommending a flu shot rather than making it compulsory as “far more sensible”.

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