Annual vaccination offers effective protection against influenza. While it does not offer 100% protection, vaccination does decrease your chance of getting influenza and also reduces the severity of the symptoms if you do catch the virus.2. Getting vaccinated also protects those around you, including pregnant women, babies and young children, older people and people with certain chronic health conditions.
Yes. Annual vaccination is recommended as immunity from influenza vaccination does not last longer than one season. The composition of the vaccine changes each year to protect against the most recent influenza virus strains.1
As the influenza season normally starts in June, with the peak usually falling around August, vaccinating from April allows individuals to develop immunity before transmission of influenza is commonly at its highest.1
There are very few people who are unable to receive the flu vaccination, it is important that you discuss your medical history and current medications with your pharmacist or other trusted health professional to assess whether the flu vaccination is suitable for you.
The strain of circulating flu virus changes from year to year and can even drift during the same season. Because of this change, the composition of the vaccine is updated each year.
Pharmacists vaccinating as part of the Guild Program use only the most current vaccines available, which is one of the reasons appointments are not available until late March or early April when vaccines for the upcoming season are released by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Information for the current influenza vaccine composition for Australia can be found on the TGA Website.
Like with any medication, some people can experience mild side effects from the vaccine. Side effects may include: pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, low grade fever, headache or muscle aches, tiredness and generally feeling unwell. Most side effects are short- lived (6-12 hours), however, you may also experience mild influenza-like symptoms for up to 48 hours as your immune system responds to the vaccine. It is rare for a severe allergic reaction to occur.2 If you feel unwell after your vaccination, please see you pharmacist or doctor.
No vaccine is 100% effective, however, there is much evidence to show that the influenza vaccine provides a good level of protection against the virus in healthy people.2 The ability of the influenza vaccine to protect you depends on numerous factors such as your age and health status, as well as how similar the ingredients of the vaccine are compared to the seasonal influenza virus to which you may be exposed.3 It is important to remember that even when the viruses are not 100% matched, the vaccine can still offer protection and prevent influenza-related complications (e.g. medical complications or hospitalisation).4
No. The influenza vaccine cannot give you the flu as there is no live influenza virus in the vaccine.1, 2
The influenza vaccination is administered into the muscle at the top of the arm, the deltoid muscle.2
Yes. Vaccination is highly recommended even if you have had influenza before. There are many different strains of the influenza virus that change from year to year, so it is difficult to build immunity without a vaccination.4