• Because the virus strains that circulate in the community change in most years, so a new vaccine has to be made.
  • The effectiveness of the vaccine begins to decline after 6-8 months
  • Yes. The World Health Organization estimates between 250,000 - 500,000 die from influenza related causes every year
  • In adults, the symptoms of influenza can include:
    • Fever
    • Dry cough
    • Muscle and joint pain
    • Tiredness/extreme exhaustion
    • Headache
    • Sore throat
  • In children, influenza may present as:
    • High fever
    • Listlessness or lack of energy
    • Cough
    • Children can also get diarrhoea and vomiting with influenza infection.
  • Duration of symptoms - typically 1-2 weeks for influenza, a few days for a cold.
  • Influenza often produces a high fever, with muscular aches and shivering.
  • It may take several weeks to fully recover from influenza, even for healthy younger people, and for some people the infection may lead to serious consequences including hospitalisation and death.
  • No. The vaccine contains only inactivated viral particles (a virus killed and broken apart) and therefore is incapable of causing influenza infection. People who develop a runny nose or sore throat may have been exposed to another virus before they received the influenza vaccine.
  • The most common side effects are pain or tenderness around the injection site.
  • Some people may experience fever, headache or irritability. These symptoms are mild and usually clear up within a few days.
  • Vaccination is contraindicated in case of severe egg allergy, including anaphylactic reaction.1

1. World Health Organization (WHO)

More information: http://www.who.int/influenza/vaccines/use/en/