Get the flu vaccine and boost your immunity
Date published:
Important to get vaccinated
Flu can be a very unpleasant illness, and in some cases, very dangerous.
The flu vaccination is being offered to:
- everyone aged 50 and over
- pregnant women
- carers
- those in long-stay residential care homes
- close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
- all pre-school children aged two to four years on 1 September 2021
- all primary and secondary (up to year 12) schoolchildren
- those aged six months to two years and 16 to 49 years in clinical risk groups
The vaccine changes each year to cover the strains which are likely to be around over the course of the flu season, so it's important to get immunised every year.
The vaccine does not give people the flu.
You can find out more at this link:
Getting the vaccine
Everyone who is eligible for the vaccine should make themselves aware of their own GP surgery’s or community pharmacist's flu vaccination arrangements.
As it takes around two weeks following vaccination to develop maximum protection against flu, it's important to get vaccinated early.
If you wait until flu starts circulating, it may be too late for the vaccine to protect you.
Children
It's important that children get the vaccine to help protect them and those around them, including vulnerable members of their family.
Look out for the consent form for children coming home in schoolbags.
The kids’ vaccine comes in the form of a quick, painless spray up the nose rather than an injection.
You can find out more on the flu vaccine for children page.
Flu symptoms
The same flu symptoms are experienced by both adults and children:
- fever
- chills
- runny nose
- aching muscles and joints
- headache
- extreme tiredness
These symptoms can last between two and seven days and, for some, can lead to serious illness and result in a stay in hospital.