Tas kids get free flu shot before winter

Kids under the age of five in Tasmania will be able to get a free flu shot before winter.

Kids under five in Tasmania can receive a free flu shot by GPs before winter. (AAP)

Tasmanian children under the age of five will be eligible to receive free flu vaccinations before winter.

The shots, available at GPs from April, will cover four strains of the virus and children who have never had a flu vaccination need two doses, one month apart.

"By being vaccinated a young child is less likely to get the flu or end up with severe complications from the flu," Minister for Health Michael Ferguson said in a statement on Saturday.