Flu (influenza) is an illness that can be serious and can affect your nose, throat and sometimes the lungs. You can catch flu all year round, but it’s especially common in winter, which is why it’s also known as seasonal flu.

Healthy individuals usually recover within two to seven days, but for some the disease can lead to hospitalisation, permanent disability or even death.

What is the flu vaccination?

The flu vaccination helps the body to produce protective antibodies to fight against the influenza viruses that cause the flu.

Flu vaccinations are safe and work well. The NHS offers them every year to help protect people who might get really sick from the flu.

The best time to get your flu vaccination is in the autumn, before the flu virus starts spreading.

The flu virus changes a little bit every year, so this winter’s flu might be a bit different from last year’s. People need to have the flu vaccination every year to stay protected.

Why should I get the flu vaccination?

Catching flu often means days of bed rest and missing work. Getting the flu vaccination is the best way to help avoid this and to help prevent those around you from catching and spreading the flu virus.

Getting vaccinated is also especially important for certain people who are more likely to have severe symptoms and develop flu complications, like pneumonia and bronchitis. This includes:

  • Those who have a weakened immune system or certain medical conditions

  • Anyone aged 65 or over

  • Pregnant women

  • Carers, healthcare workers and social workers (who could risk infecting vulnerable people)

Who can have the free NHS flu vaccination?

You can have the free NHS flu vaccination if you, or someone you care for:

  • are aged 65 or over

  • have a learning disability

  • have certain long-term health conditions*

  • are pregnant

  • live in a care home

  • are the main carer for an older or disabled person, or receive a carer’s allowance

  • live with someone who has a weakened immune system

  • are a frontline health and social care worker

  • are a child or young person (aged 2-16)

How to get the free NHS flu vaccination

If you can have the NHS flu vaccination, your general practice surgery will let you know in autumn or early winter about how you can have your vaccination.

Speak to your general practice surgery if you have not been contacted by the mid October, but you think you are eligible.

You will be able to get your vaccination at:

  • your general practice surgery
  • a pharmacy that offers NHS flu vaccination (if you’re aged 18 or over)
  • in a local pop up vaccination site

Some people will be offered the vaccination through their care or nursing home.

Frontline health and social care workers will usually be offered the flu vaccination through their employer.

If you cannot get a flu vaccination through your employer, you can get it at a pharmacy or your general practice surgery if you’re employed:

  • by a registered residential care or nursing home
  • by a registered domiciliary care provider
  • by a voluntary managed hospice provider
  • through direct payments or personal health budgets

It’s safe to have the flu vaccine during any stage of pregnancy, from the first few weeks up to your expected due date. You do not need to delay the vaccination until after you have given birth, the best time to have a flu vaccine is in the autumn, before flu starts circulating. If you have missed this time, you can be vaccinated later in the winter, although it’s better to get it earlier.

Pregnant people will be offered the vaccination through their maternity service. If you have not been offered this vaccination, contact your maternity team to book.

Children aged 2 and 3 will be able to get their pain-free, squirt up the nose flu vaccination at:

  • your general practice surgery

Watch our Flu Fighter videos to see how your child can become a flu fighting superhero.

Children aged 4 – 11 will be able to get their pain-free, squirt up the nose flu vaccination at:

  • their school by the NHS Dorset HealthCare School Age Immunisation team.

Please complete the vaccination online consent form that you will receive from your child’s school at least five working days before your school’s flu vaccination clinic.

Watch our Flu Fighter videos to see how your child can become a flu fighting superhero.

Children and young people aged 12 – 16 will be able to get their pain-free, squirt up the nose flu vaccination at:

  • their school by the NHS Dorset HealthCare School Age Immunisation team

Please complete the vaccination online consent form that you will receive from the school at least five working days before your school’s flu vaccination clinic. [link to form to follow]

For more information about the school aged vaccination programme visit the NHS Dorset HealthCare School Age Immunisation Service webpage.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

You can have the flu vaccine at the same time as other vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccine and shingles vaccine.

No vaccine is 100 percent effective, but being vaccinated helps protect you against the strains of flu virus contained in the vaccine. This includes swine flu. It’s still possible to get flu after vaccination, but it’s likely to be milder and not last as long.

The flu vaccination is usually available around September or October, ready for the upcoming winter season. The best time to have the flu vaccine is in the autumn before flu starts spreading. It’s still effective though if you have the vaccination later in the year. It usually takes around 10-14 days after your vaccination to be protected against the flu.

Yes. Protection from the flu vaccine goes down with time and the types of flu virus the vaccine protects against are updated each year. This is why it’s important to get the flu vaccine every year.

The flu vaccine aims to protect you against the most common types of flu viruses.

There’s still a chance you might get flu after getting vaccinated, but it’s likely to be milder and not last as long.

The vaccine usually takes up to 14 days to work.

No, the injected flu vaccines used in the UK do not contain live flu viruses. They cannot give you flu.

The most common side effects of the flu vaccine are mild and get better within 1 to 2 days.

They can include:

  • pain or soreness where the injection was given
  • a slightly raised temperature
  • an aching body

More serious side effects such as a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) are very rare (NHS.uk). The person who vaccinates you will be trained to deal with allergic reactions and treat them immediately.

The injected flu vaccines used in the UK do not contain live flu viruses. They cannot give you flu.

More about vaccine safety

Find out more about why vaccinations are important and the safest way to protect yourself (NHS.uk).

Yes. Pregnancy alters how the body handles infections such as flu. Flu infection increases the chances of pregnant women and their babies needing intensive care.  There is good evidence that pregnant women have a higher chance of developing complications if they get flu, one of the most common complications is bronchitis, which is a chest infection that can become serious and develop into pneumonia.

If you have flu whilst you’re pregnant, it could increase the chances of women and their babies needing intensive care, and it could contribute towards your baby to be born prematurely, have a low birthweight, and may even lead to stillbirth or death.

It’s safe to have the flu vaccination during any stage of pregnancy, from the first few weeks up to your expected due date. You do not need to delay the vaccination until after you have given birth, the best time to have a flu vaccine is in the autumn, before flu starts circulating. If you have missed this time, you can be vaccinated later in the winter, although it’s better to get it earlier.

Pregnant people will be offered the vaccination through their maternity service. If you have not been offered this vaccination, contact your midwife to book.

If you have flu symptoms you should talk to your doctor urgently, because if you do have flu there is a prescribed medicine that might help (or reduce the risk of complications), but it needs to be taken as soon as possible after the symptoms appear.

Flu vaccines do not work well in babies under 6 months of age so it is not recommended. This is why it is so important that pregnant women have the vaccination – they will pass on some immunity to their baby that will protect them during the early months of their life.

Flu vaccinations are offered to children over 6 months of age who have one of the conditions listed, or have a learning disability.

Any children with these conditions are more likely to become severely ill if they catch flu, and it could make their existing condition worse.

Talk to your general practice surgery about your child having the flu vaccination before the flu season starts.

Pre-school and school aged children and young people are being offered a flu vaccination to help protect them against the disease and help reduce its spread both to other children, including their brothers or sisters, and, of course, their parents and grandparents.

This will help you to avoid the need to take time off work because of flu or to look after your children with flu.

For more information on children’s flu vaccination ages 4 – 11.

More information about NHS Dorset HealthCare School Immunisation Service.

Flu can affect anyone but if you have a long-term health condition the effects of flu can make it worse even if the condition is well managed and you normally feel well.

You should have the free flu vaccination if you are:

  • pregnant

or have a long-term condition such as:

  • a heart problem
  • a chest complaint or serious breathing difficulties, including bronchitis, emphysema or people with asthma (needing a steroid inhaler or tablets)
  • a kidney disease
  • lowered immunity due to disease or treatment (such as steroid medication or cancer treatment)
  • liver disease
  • had a stroke or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
  • diabetes
  • some neurological conditions, e.g. multiple sclerosis (MS), or cerebral palsy
  • a learning disability
  • a problem with your spleen, e.g. sickle cell disease, or you have had your spleen removed
  • or are seriously overweight (BMI of 40 and above)

This list of conditions isn’t definitive. It’s always an issue of clinical judgement. Your general practice surgery can assess you to take into account the risk of flu making any underlying illness you may have worse, as well as your risk of serious illness from flu itself.

Visit NHS.uk for more information.