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We have a stock of both vaccines available for over 65's and under 65's

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What is the Flu Vaccine?

Flu vaccination is available every year on the NHS to help protect adults and children at risk of flu and its complications.

For Most People Flu can be unpleasant, but if you are otherwise healthy it will usually clear up on its own within a week.

However, flu can be more severe in certain people, such as:

• anyone aged 50 and over

• pregnant women

• children and adults with an underlying health condition (such as long-term heart or respiratory disease)

• children and adults with weakened immune systems

 

Anyone in these risk groups is more likely to develop potentially serious complications of flu, such as pneumonia (a lung infection), so it's recommended that they have a flu vaccine every year to help protect them

 

How the vaccine is given:

Adults will be given one dose of the vaccine (each year).

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Can influenza vaccine cause problems?

Along with their useful effects, vaccines like most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects, although not everyone experiences them. Influenza immunisation usually causes no problems.​

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What Flu Vaccine Would You Recommend?

Everyone over 65 should be offered an Adjuvanted Trivalent Vaccine. This vaccine protects against three strains of flu, but the way it is prepared means that it also boosts the immune response. This is important because people over 65 years old naturally don’t respond as well to vaccines. Over 75s in particular are likely to get better protection from the Adjuvanted form.

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Those aged 18 - 65 years at increased risk of flu should be offered the quadrivalent vaccine, which protects against four strains of flu.

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Who Should Be Immunised Against The Seasonal Flu Virus?

Seasonal flu is the particular type of flu virus that arrives in the UK each autumn. The actual type varies from year to year. The new jab is developed each year to protect against the expected type. The flu jab takes up to 14 days to give full protection after having the jab.

 

The Department of Health issues advice as to who should be immunised. This is reviewed from time to time. The aim is to protect people who are more likely to develop complications from flu. Current advice is that you should be immunised against the seasonal flu virus each autumn if you:

• Are aged 50 years or over.

• Have any ongoing (chronic) lung diseases.
  Examples include chronic bronchitis, emphysema, cystic fibrosis and severe asthma (needing regular steroid inhalers or tablets). It is also recommended for any child who has previously been admitted to hospital with a chest infection.

• Have a chronic heart disease.
  Examples include angina, heart failure or if you have ever had a heart attack.

• Have a serious kidney disease.
  Examples include nephrotic syndrome, chronic kidney disease, a kidney transplant.

• Have a serious liver disease such as cirrhosis.

• Have diabetes.

• Have a poor immune system.
  Examples include if you are receiving chemotherapy or steroid treatment (for more than a month), if you have HIV/AIDS or if you have had your spleen removed.

• Have certain serious diseases of the nervous system such as multiple sclerosis or have had a stroke in the past.

• Live in a nursing home or other long-stay residential care accommodation.

 

In addition to the main at-risk groups of people listed above:

• You should be immunised if you are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill with flu.

• Staff involved in direct patient care (including nursing and care homes) may be offered a flu jab by their employer.

• Pregnant women. Even if you are otherwise healthy it is now recommended that all pregnant women receive the flu jab.

• Healthy children - see below.

• If you are healthy and an adult aged under 65 years and you do not fall into any of the above categories then you do not need immunisation against seasonal flu. This is because you are unlikely to develop complications from flu.

 

Pregnant Women and The Flu Jab:

Pregnant women are at increased risk of developing a more severe illness. They are also more likely than non-pregnant women to be admitted to hospital. Having flu when you are pregnant may also be associated with serious pregnancy problems, prematurity and lower birth weight for the baby. Your GP (or possibly midwife) should offer you a flu vaccination during your pregnancy, if it runs over the winter. If they don't, do ask for one.

There are no known problems from giving the seasonal flu jab to women who are pregnant.

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Who Should Not Have The Seasonal Flu Jab?

The vast majority of people can receive flu immunisation (the flu jab). However, the following groups of people should not be immunised with the usual vaccine:

• Those who have a severe allergy to eggs. However, you can still receive a different immunisation that protects against the swine flu strain (H1N1v). There is also egg-free vaccine - see below.

• Those who have had a previous allergic reaction to a flu virus immunisation.

Children who do not have a good working immune system should not be given the live flu vaccine. This includes children with leukaemia or HIV. Children who live with, or have close contact with, someone who has a poorly working immune system should also not be given the live vaccine. However, children who do not have a good working immune system and children who live with, or have close contact with, someone who has a poorly working immune system can be given the inactivated vaccine.

Flu immunisation can be given at the same time as other immunisation; it is often given at the same time as the pneumonia immunisation. It is also safe to be given if you are either pregnant or breastfeeding. 

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