• 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/

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