Flu Vaccinations

Flu vaccination

FIND A STORE BY STATE CORPORATE FLU VACCINATION SERVICE

What is the flu?

The flu is a highly contagious disease of the respiratory tract, the flu spreads water droplets that are dispersed through the air via sneezing or coughing from an infected person.

Why get the flu vaccination and when?

The most effective weapon against flu and its complications is a flu vaccination. The more people who are vaccinated, the less the flu will spread in the community. April onwards is a good time to get your flu vaccination in Australia – but it’s never too late to vaccinate!

Some people such has babies less than 6 months old will not be able to be immunised, so it’s important that healthy Australians do everything they can to avoid spreading this disease.

Since the flu virus is always changing, a yearly vaccination is recommended. Recent studies show that flu vaccines provide the best protection three to four months after vaccination. It takes up to 2 weeks to get full protection from this year’s flu vaccination.

 

 

FAQs

The Australian Government recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months has a flu vaccine every year. It’s difficult to predict who will catch the flu, or who will become seriously ill from it. The flu can require someone to be hospitalised and it can even be fatal.

Getting vaccinated against the flu helps protect both you and the people around you. It’s particularly important to protect vulnerable people in the community who can’t be vaccinated, such as babies who are younger than 6 months and adults with low immunity.

 

For most people, the best time to have your flu vaccine is from April onwards, so that you have had your vaccine before the start of the peak flu season. The protection from the flu vaccine starts to decline after 3-4 months, so having your flu vaccine in April means that you still have optimal protection during the peak June-August flu season. However, you may need to have your flu vaccine earlier for other reasons e.g. travel or work purposes, so talk to your Ramsay Pharmacist about the best time to have your flu vaccine. In any case – it’s never too late to vaccinate!

 

No. All flu vaccines used in Australia are ‘inactivated’, which means they do not contain the live flu virus and so you can't catch the flu from the vaccine.

 

Less than 15% of people experience side effects from the flu vaccine that are similar to the early signs of the flu. These may include fever, tiredness and muscle aches. These side effects can start within a few hours of your being vaccinated and sometimes last for 1 or 2 days. They usually go away on their own, once your body has developed an immune response to the vaccine, which will protect you from the flu virus.

It’s important to remember that the side effects show the vaccine is triggering an immune response, which is what it’s designed to do.

 
  • The influenza vaccine is very safe.
    • Vaccination is a safe and effective way to protect you from serious disease caused by influenza
    • Annual vaccination is the most important measure to prevent influenza and its complications. It is recommended for all people >= 6 months of age. It is particularly important for those most at risk.
    • Influenza vaccine is safe to give during any stage of pregnancy or while breastfeeding for both the mother and her baby. Several systematic reviews have shown no association between influenza vaccination in pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes
    • Note that the ATAGI recommends that individuals with egg allergy still receive an age-appropriate egg-based influenza vaccine. The only contraindication to vaccination is anaphylaxis to the vaccine or one of its components
  • The chance of experiencing a serious problem from having a vaccine is far lower than the risk of serious harm from catching influenza.
    • Vaccination is a safe and effective way to protect you from serious disease caused by influenza. Influenza affects people of all ages but is especially serious for young babies, young children, pregnant women and people with underlying medical conditions. It can require hospitalisation and cause death
    • You may experience minor side effects following vaccination. Most reactions are mild and last no more than a couple of days and you will recover without any problems
    • Serious side effects, such as a severe allergic reaction are extremely rare
  • The vaccine doesn’t contain any live virus, os you can’t get the flu from being vaccinated.
    • While some effects may seem like influenza, none of the influenza vaccines available in Australia contain live influenza viruses, so they cannot cause influenza.
 

Flu vaccination prevents illness in 5 or 6 out of 10 healthy adults under the age of 65. Because the vaccine is not effective in absolutely every case, some people may still catch the virus after having the flu vaccine, but the risk of illness is still reduced.

Although most people who get the flu recover without lasting effects, the flu can be very serious in some people and may require them to be hospitalised. In some cases, it can even be fatal. Vaccination against the flu reduces your chances of getting it and may reduce the severity of the symptoms, so it is still important to have the shot.

 

Feeling cold doesn't cause the flu (or the common cold). The only way to catch influenza is to be exposed to the virus, via tiny droplets of mucus that are coughed or sneezed into the air or transmitted through touch.

Cold and flu season does happen to coincide with the colder months. Wintry weather forces people indoors more often — where they're more likely to be in close proximity with infectious people.

 

You need a flu vaccination each year as the flu virus frequently changes. The flu vaccine is updated every year according to the most common strains likely to affect Australia during the winter season. The benefit of the flu vaccine tends to wear off after three to four months.

 

Egg-based influenza vaccines in 2024 will contain the following strains:

  • an A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus
  • an A/Thailand/8/2022 (H3N2)-like virus
  • a B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus
  • a B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata lineage)-like virus

Reference: https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/publication/meeting-statements/aivc-recommendations-composition-influenza-vaccines-australia-2024

 

The influenza vaccine is grown in eggs. But the traces of egg protein that remain after the vaccine is made are so tiny that the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) says both adults and children with egg allergy can be safely vaccinated against the flu. The risk of anaphylaxis in response to the vaccine is very low, estimated at 1.35 cases per 1 million doses.

It is rare for people with egg allergy to experience other adverse effects, such as hives, wheezing, vomiting or abdominal pain, after getting the flu vaccine. If you are concerned, ask your doctor if you, or your child, can be observed by staff for 30 minutes after receiving the vaccine, instead of the recommended 15 minutes.

 

The flu vaccine won’t protect you against COVID-19 (coronavirus), but it will reduce your risk of influenza — which leads to thousands of hospitalisations each year. By getting the flu vaccine, you can reduce the strain on the health service.

 

Yes, the flu vaccine and the covid-19 vaccine can both be given on the same day.

 

The National Immunisation Program provides government-funded vaccines for those most at risk, including: pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; people aged 65 years and older; people with certain medical risk factors.

Your Ramsay Pharmacist can vaccinate under the National Immunisation Program (a service fee applies).

 

 

Terms and Conditions:

Quadrivalent flu vaccination $24.99 in NSW and Victoria, and free of charge in Queensland (government funded).

Age restrictions do apply – you must be 6 months and over to receive a flu vaccination at Ramsay Pharmacy in NSW, VIC or QLD. Bookings for children between 6 months and 16 years require parent/guardian consent. Administered by a qualified Pharmacist. Please allow 15 minutes post-vaccination for monitoring. Walk in appointments are pending pharmacist availability and vaccine supply.

 

Flu Vax Facts References:

  1. Australian Influenza Vaccine Committee. AIVC Recommendations for the Composition of Influenza Vaccines for Australia in 2024. 2023 Oct 13 [accessed 2024 Jan 31]. Available from: https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/publication/meeting-statements/aivc-recommendations-composition-influenza-vaccines-australia-2024
  2. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Australian Immunisation Handbook – Influenza. 2023 Dec 14 [accessed 2024 Jan 31]. Available from: https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/contents/vaccine-preventable-diseases/influenza-flu
  3. World Health Organization. Recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2024 southern hemisphere influenza season. 2023 Sep 29 [accessed 2024 Jan 31]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/recommended-composition-of-influenza-virus-vaccines-for-use-in-the-2024-southern-hemisphere-influenza-season.
  4. National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. Influenza vaccines for Australians. Mar 2023 [accessed 2024 Jan 31]. Available from: https://ncirs.org.au/ncirs-fact-sheets-faqs/influenza-vaccines-australians
  5. HealthDirect Australia Limited. Flu vaccine FAQs. 2022 Apr [accessed 2024 Jan 31]. Available from: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/flu-vaccine-faqs

References:

  1. Australian Government – Department of Health. Influenza (flu). In: Australian Immunisation Handbook. Available from: https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/vaccine-preventable-diseases/influenza-flu
  2. Queensland Government – Queensland Health. Influenza in residential care facilities. Available from: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/public-health/industry-environment/care-facilities/prevention/influenza-in-residential-care-facilities
  3. Australian Government – Department of Health. Immunisation for pregnancy. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/immunisation/when-to-get-vaccinated/immunisation-for-pregnancy
  4. Australian Government – Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI). Statement on the administration of seasonal influenza vaccines in 2022. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/atagi-advice-on-seasonal-influenza-vaccines-in-2022
  5. NSW Government – NSW Health. Influenza fact sheet. Available from: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/influenza_factsheet.aspx
  6. Australian Government – Department of Health. Influenza (flu) vaccine. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/topics/immunisation/vaccines/influenza-flu-vaccine
  7. The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne. Influenza (the flu). Available from: https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Influenza_the_flu/
  8. Australian Government - https://www.health.gov.au/topics/immunisation/vaccines/influenza-flu-vaccine
  9. Australian Government - https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-02/fighting-flu-starts-with-you-consumer-fact-sheet.pdf
  10. Australian Government - https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/2023-influenza-vaccination-program-advice-for-vaccination-providers?language=en