As rest of the country, suspends flu shots for children, Tasmania's health authorities have also suspended flu vaccines for children under the age of five, according to the Deputy Director of Public Health, Dr. Chrissie Pickin.

She took part in a national teleconference of state and territory health authorities, where the circumstances in Western Australia had been discussed.

Pickin said, "We do take vaccine concerns about safety very seriously and we've agreed to temporarily suspend the seasonal flu vaccination program for children five years and under while we get more information from WA and from other states".

The program has been suspended for an indefinite period, in Western Australia, as more than 20 children had serious adverse reactions to the flu vaccine there.

She wanted to know whether the concerns are related to the specific swine flu vaccine, Panvax, which is being rolled out at free vaccination clinics, throughout the state.

At this stage, children aged five years and under should not be given the seasonal flu vaccine until further notice. According to Dr. Pickin, the children can still be given the dedicated swine flu vaccine, Panvax. But, those who have already been given one dose of the seasonal flu vaccine should delay their second dose until more information is received.