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You may be thinking of getting the flu jab this autumn/winter, but what is flu? Flu (or influenza) is a very common viral infection that can affect anyone but it's particularly more severe in those who are vulnerable. It's highly infectious and is much more severe than the common cold, meaning that you can end up in bed for 2-3 days or miss work or school. Flu mainly circulates between October and March with a peak in infections from December to January. In the UK, the flu vaccination is available from late September, so we’d encourage you to get the flu jab in early October if you’re an adult and from September for your children (flu immunity lasts longer in children).
Flu, what is it?
Flu vaccination
There's good evidence that getting the flu vaccination prevents you from catching influenza by 40% to 60%. Even more important, it also reduces the risk of serious complications of the infection. You can develop these serious complications even if you’re fit and well, which is why at Health Klinix, we would advise you to get a private flu jab if you're not eligible for a free vaccination through the NHS.
Recommended flu vaccines for children and adults
There are 4 main types of flu vaccines in the UK. The nasal flu vaccine ( LAIV) is a weakened, live vaccine that’s offered to all children. The recombinant (QIVr) and cell based flu vaccines (QIVc) are more effective than the more traditional egg based vaccines (QIVe) which is mainly offered when the others are not available.
Older people, however, don’t respond as well to the usual flu vaccines, so if you’re aged 65 yrs and over, you’ll need to ask for the adjuvanted flu vaccine (aQIV) or the recombinant version (QIVr)
The private flu vaccination is £15 per dose for adults and £15 per dose for children.
Flu jab price
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An annual flu jab given to as many people as possible, is the most important step in flu prevention. This will help create herd immunity, the best way to prevent person to person spread. You're most likely to catch flu by droplet spread when someone near you coughs or sneezes. You can also get infected by touching contaminated surfaces, such as door handles, pens, etc. You could also significantly reduce the spread of flu with simple, basic, hygiene measures.
Prevention
Flu can be debilitating, so take rest and drink plenty of fluids to keep you hydrated. You can also buy over the counter remedies, such as paracetamol and nasal decongestants to relieve fever, sore throat, nasal congestion and other symptoms. If you're unfortunate enough to fall severely ill with flu, your doctor may prescribe a drug called oseltamivir which can reduce the severity of the disease. In reality, an annual influenza vaccine is the best form of treatment.
Flu treatment
Flu symptoms are much more serious and can be different to the symptoms of the common cold. You should watch out for an abrupt onset of fever, headache, sore throat and all over body ache. You may also experience shivers, chills, running nose and a dry chesty cough. Just bear in mind that sometimes flu symptoms can be non-specific particularly in children who might experience diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting or just lose their appetite. Most worryingly, it's the serious complications of flu that can make you very ill. This might even mean you might end up in hospital or miss work or school. Flu complications include: - Pneumonia - Encephalitis (an inflammation of the brain) - Meningitis (and information of the covering of the brain) - Middle ear infection
Flu symptoms
Flu is caused by the influenza virus. It's a common virus that can affect not only humans but also other species, such as birds and pigs. The flu virus is constantly changing so that the circulating strains may vary from year to year. The World Health Organisation (WHO) monitors the strains circulating around the world and advises of three to four strains that should be covered by the current flu vaccine. Even when we're able to identify the predominant circulating strains, immunity to the flu vaccination is not long lasting. That's why we recommend you need to have regular, annual flu jabs.
Flu causes
Contrary to popular myth, the flu vaccine is surprisingly well tolerated. It doesn’t give you ‘the flu’ and most people don’t have any flu vaccine side effects. There are a few occasional side effects and these are listed in the below: Inactivated flu vaccine - Pain, swelling, redness of injection site - Slight fever - Headache - Aches - Tiredness Live nasal flu vaccine - Runny or stuffy nose - Loss of appetite - Tiredness - Headache
Flu vaccine side effects
Because the virus is constantly changing and immunity to the influenza vaccine is not long lasting, you need an annual flu jab.
We at Health Klinix believe everyone should receive the flu jab. Why? Because approximately 600 people die every year in the UK and more than 10,000 people are hospitalised, some of whom are completely fit and well.
For a list of groups that are at high risk of complications from flu, and therefore eligible for a free vaccine on the NHS, please see our FAQ ‘when is the flu jab free?’ below.
Absolutely! If you're pregnant you're more likely to have serious complications if you contract flu. Your baby is also four times more likely to be born prematurely or have a low birth weight. A large study has also shown that the flu jab will reduce the risk of you being admitted to hospital by 40%. Another study concluded that there wasn't any risk of increased birth defects in the first three months of pregnancy. If you’re still unsure, and would like to ask more questions about getting the flu jab when you’re pregnant just give our friendly team a call on 024 7601 6519.
This is relatively short. It usually takes two days to develop symptoms but the range can be one to four days.
Yes, very much so. You can catch it very easily by droplet spread from coughs and sneezes as well as touching contaminated surfaces, see flu prevention above.
The nasal flu vaccine is licensed and recommended for children aged between 2 and 18 years of age. For this reason, the UK government has quite rightly secured the supply of the nasal flu vaccine to prioritise the UK childhood flu vaccination schedule. Any nasal flu vaccine left at the end of the flu season are then distributed to private flu vaccine providers, such as Health Klinix. Please contact us for more information.
At Health Klinix, a private flu jab costs £15.
In the UK, the following groups of people are most vulnerable and therefore eligible for a free NHS flu vaccine:
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All the people aged 65 years and over
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Pregnant women
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If you're a main carer for an older or disabled person or receive a carers allowance
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If you live with somebody who has a weakened immune system
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Frontline healthcare workers are also eligible through their employers
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The flu jab process is very simple and should only take 5-10 mins.
If the flu jab they’re offering is cheaper than what Health Klinix offers, it’s almost certainly an egg- based flu vaccine.
One thing to remember is that the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) UK don’t usually recommend egg-based flu vaccines as the cell-based flu vaccine is more effective. So if a clinic is offering you a cheap flu jab, do ask them if it’s egg-based. You don’t really want to be receiving a less effective vaccine. If you’re aged 65 yrs and over, you’ll need to ask for the adjuvanted flu vaccine.
Frequently asked questions
Authors:
Dr Ravi Gowda, Consultant in Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine
MBBS, MRCP(UK), DTM&H, MRCGP, DCH, DRCOG, DFFP
Caitlin Lancaster, BSc
Resources:
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Flu symptoms and complications. Oxford vaccine knowledge project
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Influenza vaccine does not increase the risk of birth defects