Flu season is back – get vaccinated today

No, if you experience side effects and feel unwell following your flu vaccine and don’t feel well enough to work safely, we encourage you to stay at home until you feel better. Side effects are likely to last around 1-2 days if they do occur. If they continue for longer you need to let your manager know and speak with your GP.

My department is really busy. How can I get vaccinated if I can’t get to one of the flu clinics?

King’s has a network of Peer Vaccinators who may be able to visit you and your colleagues to deliver vaccinations at a time that suits you. Contact a vaccinator at your site using the list further up this page.

What is in the flu vaccine this year?

The flu vaccine contains inactivated components of three different strains of flu, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The components are inactivated, and cannot cause an actual flu illness. The vaccine offered to people aged 65 years or over may contain small traces of egg (ovalbumin). Other trace components of the vaccines used may include kanamycin and neomycin sulphate, formaldehyde, hydrocortisone, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, beta-propiolactone, and polysorbate 80.

What if I have an allergy to eggs?

The egg content in the vaccine is so small that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommends that any influenza vaccine may be given to individuals with an allergy to eggs.

For religious reasons, I’m unsure whether I can get the flu vaccine. Can you advise?

There are several types of influenza vaccines. You will be offered a vaccine that’s acceptable for you. For adults aged 18-64, you can have a vaccine that is egg-free if you wish. Adults aged 65 and over will be offered a different vaccine which will support the immune system to make a stronger response to the vaccine. This vaccine may contain traces of egg or chicken protein. If you are unable to receive this vaccine for religious reasons, you can receive the vaccine for individuals aged 18 to 64 years, which is considered to have equivalent effectiveness.

Can the side effects of the vaccination give you the flu?

There is a slim chance you may experience minor cold-like symptoms or experience a slight soreness around the site of the injection – all of which can be relieved by taking painkillers or cold medication. It’s impossible to get a flu infection from a vaccination because the injectable vaccine doesn’t contain any live viruses.

Lots of my colleagues have already had flu vaccine, why should I?

As individuals with professional responsibilities and as a Trust dedicated to excellence in healthcare, we must do all we can to protect ourselves from flu, prevent flu transmission to patients and create a safe hospital environment. High vaccine uptake will create good immunity amongst King’s staff and a safer environment for our patients. We each have a role to play in this and if you have not yet been vaccinated, now is the time.

Flu is a mild illness, why do I need to be vaccinated?

The majority of people who catch flu each year have a miserable few weeks, however for some it is much more serious, flu can kill. Globally seasonal flu virus causes between 250,000 and 500,000 deaths each year. Being vaccinated reduces the severity and length of your illness and lowers the chance of secondary infections like pneumonia.

I’ve had the flu vaccine before, why do I need to have it again?

You should be vaccinated against flu each year because new vaccines are released every year to keep up with rapidly adapting viruses. Because these viruses evolve so quickly, last year’s vaccine may not protect you from this year’s flu. After vaccination, your immune system produces antibodies to protect you from illness, but these start to decline over time, so this is another reason to get a flu vaccination each year.

Is the flu vaccine safe for everyone?

The flu vaccine is one of the safest in the world and is given to millions of people each year. The strains of flu that are included may change but this does not affect the safety of the vaccine which is thoroughly tested. The risk of having a serious reaction to the vaccine is less than one in a million – a much lower risk than the chance of becoming seriously ill from having the flu. The only people who should not have the vaccine are those who have had a severe allergic reaction to one of the ingredients in the vaccine in the past.

What is the effectiveness of the vaccine?

The flu vaccine is reviewed every year by the World Health Organisation and throughout the last ten years the vaccine has generally offered good protection, with those vaccinated being 50-70% less likely to suffer flu of a severity that would require hospitalisation. A trivalent vaccine, with action against three different types of seasonal flu virus has been developed and approved for use by the UKHSA. This is the vaccine we use at the Trust.

Is the Trust offering the COVID-19 vaccine?

The Trust is not offering the COVID-19 vaccine at its flu clinics. However, during November there will be special clinics set up for two days – one at Denmark Hill and one at the PRUH – where COVID-19 and RSV vaccines will be offered to staff that are eligible. More details will be released closer to the time.