What is the Flu Vaccine?
The flu vaccine is a safe and effective vaccine. It helps to protect you from flu. The best time to get the flu vaccine is before the flu season starts. It's available from October to April each year.
Where can you get the flu vaccine?
We administer flu vaccines at:
Whites Pharmacy Carlow, 44 Tullow Street, Carlow. R93 RW25 | Whites Pharmacy Kilkenny, 5 High Street, Kilkenny, R95 Y544 | Arthur Kennedy Chemist LTD, Main Street, Hacketstown, Co. Carlow. R93 CK25 |
Who can get a free flu vaccine?
You can get a free flu vaccine if you are:
- aged 65 years and older
- aged 2 to 12 years
- Healthcare worker including all General Practice and pharmacy staff
- Pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy
- Residents of nursing homes and other long stay institutions
- Carers and household contacts of people with increased medical risk**
- People with regular contact with pigs, poultry or water fowl
- Those aged 6 to 23 months and ages 13- 64 years with with increased medical risk of flu.
Health conditions that put you at increased medical risk of flu
People with these conditions can get a free flu vaccine:
- a Chronic heart disease including acute coronary syndrome
- Chronic liver disease
- Chronic neurological disease including multiple sclerosis, hereditary and degenerative disorders of the central nervous system
- Chronic renal failure
- Cancer patents
- Chronic respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, moderate or severe asthma or bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
- Diabetes mellitus
Down syndrome - Haemoglobinopathies
- Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including asplenia or splenic dysfunction and cancer patients
- Morbid obesity, i.e. body mass index of 40 or over
- On long-term aspirin therapy (because of the risk of Reyes syndrome)
- With any condition (e.g. cognitive dysfunction, spinal cord injury, seizure disorder, or other neuromuscular disorder) that can compromise respiratory function especially those attending special schools/day centres
- With moderate to severe neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy and intellectual disability
Who is a carer?
A carer is someone who provides an ongoing, significant level of care to someone who is in need of care in the home due to illness, disability or frailty.
Free flu vaccines will not be offered to people who live with:
- people aged 65 years and older, who do not also have a chronic health condition
- pregnant women
- children aged 2 to 12 years
- healthcare workers
- carers
If you cannot get a free flu vaccine
If you cannot get a free flu vaccine, you can still get it at Whites Pharmacy or Arthur Kennedy Chemist Ltd but you will need to pay for it. For the 2023/24 season the charge is €30.00.
How it's given
For adults, the flu vaccine is given as an injection in the arm.
Children get the Fluenz Tetra vaccine through their nose as a nasal spray.
When it starts to work
It takes 2 weeks for the vaccine to work. It should protect you for the whole flu season.
Side effects
After the vaccine, you may have some mild side effects.
These may include:
If you feel any of these side effects, rest and take paracetamol.
Serious side effects
Serious side effects such as a severe allergic reaction are rare.
In very rare cases Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has been reported. GBS is a condition that affects the nerves in the body. It causes nerve inflammation and can cause pain, numbness, muscle weakness and difficulty walking. You are far more likely to get Guillain-Barré syndrome from having the flu than from the flu vaccine.
Report any harmful effects to the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA)
Flu vaccine and COVID-19 booster
The flu vaccine and the COVID-19 booster are 2 separate vaccines.
You can get can both at the same time if you a due a COVID-19 booster dose.
Find out who can get a COVID-19 booster dose now
Why older should people get the flu vaccine
Flu can be dangerous for people of all ages.
But people aged 65 and older who get flu are at higher risk of:
- severe illness
- going to hospital
- dying from flu
Most of the people who die of flu are aged 65 or older.
Immunity
You need to have the flu vaccine every year. This is because the antibodies that protect you fade over time. Flu strains also change each year.
Type of flu vaccine for older people
You will be offered either of the quadrivalent influenza vaccines (QIV).
All flu vaccines offer protection against flu and reduce the impact of flu if you catch it.
Who should not get the vaccine
You should not get the flu vaccine if you:
- have had a severe allergic reaction to a previous flu vaccine or any part of the vaccine
- are taking medicines called combination checkpoint inhibitors, for example, ipilimumab and nivolumab
- have a temperature greater than 38 degrees Celsius- wait until you are well before getting the vaccine
- have severe neutropoenia, which is low levels of a type of white blood cell - if you have primary autoimmune neutropenia, you should be able to get the flu vaccine, ask your GP
If you have an egg allergy, talk to your vaccinator before getting the vaccine. Most people with an egg allergy can get the flu vaccine.
Information:
All HSE immunisation programmes follow the recommendations of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC).