Flu is an infectious and common viral illness spread by coughs and sneezes.
The flu vaccine is available free on the NHS for:
- anyone over the age of 65
- pregnant women
- children and adults with an underlying health condition (particularly long-term heart or respiratory disease)
- children aged 2 – 9 years (4-9 year olds will be vaccinated at school)
- children and adults with weakened immune systems
- people with caring responsibilities
It is given as an annual injection to:
- adults over the age of 18 at risk of flu (including everyone over 65)
children aged six months to two years at risk of flu
The flu vaccine is also given as an annual nasal spray to:
- children aged two to 18 years at risk of flu
- healthy children aged two, three and four years old
Despite popular belief, the flu vaccine cannot give you flu as it doesn’t contain the active virus needed to do this.
The flu vaccine is available from September/ October each year. You will be sent an invite letter or text message when the vaccine becomes available. Please contact the surgery to make an appointment (Saturday clinics available).
Please note that people in the 50-64-year old age group will not be vaccinated until November and December, providing there is sufficient vaccine, and no appointments will be offered for this age group until then. This is to ensure that those who are most at risk are vaccinated first.
If you are 50-64 and you are in one of the other groups which is eligible for the flu vaccination, for example you have a health condition which puts you at risk from the flu, you will be invited earlier.
