New South Wales (NSW) Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt announced on Tuesday that free A/H1N1 flu vaccine was available for children under the age of 10.

Everyone from the age of six months can now be vaccinated against the global pandemic as more than 1.9 million doses of the vaccine had been delivered to doctors across NSW, she said.

Tebbutt encouraged parents to think about getting their children protected against the virus.

"With the Christmas holidays approaching and people traveling overseas or receiving family visiting from abroad, it is important that they plan ahead and receive the vaccination," she said in a statement.

"In the last six months, nearly 600 children were admitted to hospitals in NSW with pandemic influenza, with many suffering severe complications and some requiring intensive care."

Western Sydney pediatrician Elizabeth Elliott said babies and toddlers were at particular risk of becoming infected.

"Three times as many children aged 0-4 years old attended emergency departments this year with influenza-like illness, compared to our previous peak in 2007," Elliott said.

"Children under five are most at risk."

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2009)