Name: Flu Vaccine on the NHS: Who’s Eligible and Why It Matters | Healthwords
Creator: Dr Roger Henderson
Published: 2021-11-22T17:30:34.218Z

Discover who qualifies for the free NHS flu vaccine. From seniors aged 65 and over to pregnant individuals and those with long-term health conditions, learn why getting vaccinated matters. Find out how to access the flu jab through your GP, local pharmacy, or other healthcare services.

Flu Vaccine on the NHS: Who’s Eligible and Why It Matters | Healthwords

People who fit the following criteria will be routinely invited by their GP practice to book a free flu vaccine: 
* Anyone aged 50 and over (including those who will be 50 by 31 March 2023) 
* Those aged under 50 with certain long term health conditions, such as heart or respiratory conditions, diabetes, physical disability or a weakened immune system 
* Asthma is one criteria, but only if you are prescribed regular steroid inhalers 
* Pregnant women 
* Carers 
* People in long-term residential care 
* Children – see below for details on the nasal spray flu vaccine for children. 

Your GP surgery will contact you if you are eligible to invite you in for a free vaccine. It’s best to get in before flu season starts, in September or October.  

The nasal spray flu vaccine is free on the NHS for children aged 2 or 3, all primary school children (Reception to Year 6), some secondary school aged children and children aged 2 to 17 years with long-term health conditions (If you have a child aged between 6 months and 2 years with a long-term health condition that puts them at extra risk from flu, they'll be offered a flu vaccine injection instead of the nasal spray because the nasal spray isn’t licensed for children under 2 years old.) 

Who gets the flu vaccine on the NHS?

They can! But unfortunately not from the NHS. Anyone can buy the flu vaccine from a pharmacy and have it administered there. Make sure you are fit and well on the day, and the sooner in the season you get it, the earlier that you are protected. 

Why can’t everyone get it? 

Pneumonia is where one or both of the air spaces of the lungs get inflamed. This is usually triggered by an infection with a virus or bacteria, but in some cases can also be caused by irritation from things getting into the lungs that shouldn’t be there (food, fungus, vomit, smoke). In these cases, it is more accurate to call it pneumonitis.

Pneumonia is usually a bacterial infection. Seasonal [flu](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/flu!3381af24-b0d2-430e-adc1-a81aabaafffc), caused by the [influenza](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/influenza!d279e148-1f60-4339-8259-7e5ef21c36cb) virus, is a common cause of pneumonia when it circulates in the autumn and winter. This is one of the reasons a yearly[ flu vaccine](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/flu-vaccine-101!bc1422ae-06f5-4bd6-9387-5de46020cc0b) is recommended for high-risk groups who are more susceptible to infections, or would be more unwell if they caught the flu.

Pneumonia usually leaves you feeling very tired, achy and generally unwell. You might get a [cough](https://www.healthwords.ai/treatment/coughs-how-to-soothe-symptoms-and-when-to-worry!a76cd4fb-1061-4d31-96d7-cc33ebcc3ae9), [fever](https://www.healthwords.ai/symptom/high-temperature-\(adults\)!6df402fd-19f9-4d1f-9c4e-e0b677098d0c), your heart might be racing and you might get [chest pain](https://www.healthwords.ai/symptom/chest-pain!9110d29a-0c1e-4134-9dd9-d9e7521b2478) when you take a deep breath in, you might find breathing more difficult and get out of breath easily, and it may bring on confusion.

COVID-19 vaccine – checklist before you get your jab

The vaccine slot’s booked, you’re all set to go, but first, just run through our checklist to make sure you’re in the best position health-wise to get your jab. 

Flu is common, and just over 1 in every 10 people suffer from it each year, typically in autumn and winter. Influenza is the name of the virus that causes flu and its symptoms. There are three main types of influenza virus, called A, B and C, although it is usually the type A virus that causes the worst epidemics. Type C influenza is mild to the extent that it is often indistinguishable from a common cold. Type A influenza is usually more debilitating than type B.

Symptoms begin after an incubation period of one to four days and include a high temperature up to 39C (103F), headache, loss of appetite, muscular aches and pains, weakness and marked exhaustion or fatigue.

Symptoms often continue for about a week unless there are complications, in which case new symptoms may commence in the second week. Symptoms tend to come on quite fast, as opposed to the gradual onset the common cold brings – different viruses are responsible for colds.

For most people, the flu will lead to some days spent in bed feeling rotten. For the elderly, young children, or people with other serious medical problems it can be serious, and a number of people die from the flu each year.

The flu virus typically hits in winter, where the flu vaccine is offered in the autumn run-up to flu season every autumn. The virus can change in nature from year to year, but flu jabs keep up with this ever-changing virus, and that’s why we need a booster every year.

The symptoms of the flu are similar to the symptoms of [COVID-19](https://www.healthwords.ai/condition/covid-19-\(coronavirus\)!9787ecb6-c926-4ab4-a2e9-481973b2416d) so it is important if you have a continuous cough, fever or a loss of taste or smell, to follow the current government guidelines in your area.

As we learn to live alongside COVID-19, it can be hard to tease apart the threat it poses to us, and this can depend on many factors – age, sex, ethnicity, health condition. Will it feel like a simple cold or will I end up in hospital? Add the fact that you’re pregnant into the equation, and confusion reigns.

In the simplest terms, the risk to pregnant women is low. However, when compared to people of your age and gender, the risk if raised and this is for both becoming unwell enough to need hospital treatment, and of needing intensive care support.

This risk is much reduced if you are in good health, and significantly reduced if you are fully vaccinated. The doctors here at Healthwords follow guidance from the NHS and the UK government, in advising you that getting [fully vaccinated](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/covid-vaccine-in-pregnancy!152f2f12-df6e-4754-95cf-7b9f7d06969a) in pregnancy offers the best protection for you and your baby. Real-world data suggests that pregnant women who are unvaccinated are significantly more likely to end up seriously unwell or needing hospital care than those who are vaccinated. Your baby may also risk being born prematurely if you contract COVID-19.

A vaccine (also known as vaccination, immunisation, jab) is when your body is given a modified version of a virus or bacteria so that your immune system can develop immunity against it without getting the harmful illness associated with whichever virus or bacteria it is. This is usually in the form of a small injection and is why it is also known as a "jab" and tends to be given into the muscle in your upper arm.
 
Vaccines have been key in preventing serious and potentially fatal infectious diseases. There are also seasonal vaccines such as the flu vaccine and travel vaccines that you will only require if you are travelling to certain places abroad where some diseases are more prevalent than in the UK. There are also specific vaccines such as hepatitis depending on your risks of exposure to blood-borne viruses.
 
The bacteria or viruses are made safe for a vaccine by either weakening, changing or killing them so that they cannot cause harm. If a vaccine uses a weakened version of the pathogen (virus or bacteria) then it should be considered whether it is safe to give to people with a lowered immune system.
 
All approved and licensed vaccines have gone through clinical trials meaning that it has been thoroughly tested and are safe for use. The side effects of vaccines are usually mild and short-lived however in a very small number of people, a severe allergic reaction can occur known as anaphylaxis. It is not common but it is life-threatening and can develop quickly, causing the swelling of airways and difficulty breathing along with other symptoms such as feeling faint or dizzy, feeling sick, and collapse. Any signs of anaphylaxis should be responded to by calling 999 immediately.

The flu vaccine – your questions answered

We've been sitting in our surgeries recently and getting lots of questions about the[ flu vaccine](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/flu-vaccine-101!bc1422ae-06f5-4bd6-9387-5de46020cc0b). The roll-out happens every year, and lots of people are up-to-date with most of the general information surrounding it. Now and again we get asked questions that keep us on our toes, and we've collated these here for your interest.

First up is how long it takes to gain protection after having the vaccination. Like all vaccinations, the flu jab works by stimulating the immune system into a defence response. This does take time: the science suggests it can take 1 to 2 weeks until you are fully protected. Getting your vaccination early will ensure you are protected as soon as possible.

Dr Kandi - The Flu

Coughs - how to soothe symptoms and when to worry

Coughs are irritating, uncomfortable and, since COVID-19 arrived, make us feel a bit socially unacceptable.  

A cough is the body’s powerful reflex to respond to a threat and irritation in your respiratory tract. When specialised sensors in your airways detect an irritant such as smoke, dust, allergens, irritants or infection, it triggers a cough reflex that causes the muscles in your airways to contract and push a burst of air out through your airways in an attempt to remove the cause of the irritation. In the case of infection, it may also make sputum (mucus) to help capture viruses and bacteria and expel them in the cough, defending and protecting your body from harm. 

There are many ways to describe how your cough feels, and this can help us determine likely causes and target treatments. Catching a virus or bacteria is the most common cause of a cough, and this can bring other symptoms like sneezing, a runny or blocked nose, fever and feeling run down. 

Long-standing medical conditions and medications can cause a cough, so it’s worth consideration and a visit to your doctor if a cough is persistent and not fitting with a common cold or minor chest infection. 

We’ve become attuned to coughs as a sign of COVID-19 infection. This was certainly true at the start of the pandemic, but vaccination has made this a less common symptom than some others, like a sore throat and nasal congestion. 

We’ll take you through how to assess your cough in terms of causes and reasons to visit the doctor. It’s also good to know when to keep away from loved ones and colleagues, as a cough can be contagious if it's caused by an infection. 

Flu is the common name for illness caused by the influenza virus. It brings on [headache](https://www.healthwords.ai/symptom/headaches!0d3b5d5b-549e-454a-b2d6-9099c5c8ea33), muscle ache, [sore throat](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/sore-throat-triggers-and-treatments-to-soothe-and-repair!ac601208-1004-473b-8a6b-3f6c7f327be3), runny nose and [cough](https://www.healthwords.ai/treatment/coughs-how-to-soothe-symptoms-and-when-to-worry!a76cd4fb-1061-4d31-96d7-cc33ebcc3ae9). It's much worse than the [common cold](https://www.healthwords.ai/condition/common-cold!ebd5ae17-c08e-4512-89b7-01bf02733274), often requiring a few days in bed, struggling with fever, poor appetite, and feeling very tired and drained.

It comes in the winter, it's highly contagious and most people have experienced it at one time or another. If you're healthy, you have a miserable 2 to 7 days, then get better and back to normal life. The risk comes to those who are elderly or have ongoing medical conditions. It can also hit those with suppressed immune systems hard, either from conditions or medication. It causes inflammation in the lungs and airways, leading to breathing problems, [pneumonia ](https://www.healthwords.ai/condition/pneumonia:-causes-symptoms-treatment!0e28494a-070e-4c75-87fe-23d8d66ba177)and even death.

Antibiotics won't help as they don't work on viruses, only bacteria. Your immune system will fight it off, and you may need intravenous fluids and oxygen if you are admitted to hospital.

Influenza is the name of the virus that causes flu and its symptoms. It is common, and around 15-20% of people develop it each year.

Influenza commonly causes a fever, [sore throat](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/sore-throat-triggers-and-treatments-to-soothe-and-repair!ac601208-1004-473b-8a6b-3f6c7f327be3), [cough](https://www.healthwords.ai/treatment/coughs-how-to-soothe-symptoms-and-when-to-worry!a76cd4fb-1061-4d31-96d7-cc33ebcc3ae9), sore muscles, significant fatigue and feeling generally poorly. Symptoms tend to come on quite fast, as opposed to the gradual onset that happens with the [common cold](https://www.healthwords.ai/condition/common-cold!ebd5ae17-c08e-4512-89b7-01bf02733274).

For most people, flu leads to some days spent in bed feeling pretty rotten and for the elderly, young children, or people with other serious medical problems it can be serious, and significant numbers of people die from flu each year.

The flu virus typically hits in winter, which is why the [flu vaccine](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/the-flu-vaccine-your-questions-answered!a2534cda-c547-4f51-ac88-27b1414e3170) is offered in the run-up to flu season every autumn. The virus can change from year to year, making it hard for our immune systems to recognise it and so the flu jab is changed every year to keep up with this ever-changing virus. This is why we need it every year.

Most of us have felt the effects of a common cold – adults catch one once or twice every year, and children up to six times a year. The symptoms of a cold are caused by a viral infection, with rhinovirus being the most likely culprit. Colds typically circulate in autumn and winter, especially among children at school or nursery.

There is no cure as such, your immune system will fight the virus and overcome it within 1 to 2 weeks. Antibiotics have no benefit for the common cold as they are only effective against bacterial infections. Treatments aim to relieve symptoms, but they won’t speed up getting rid of a cold.

Colds usually appear in autumn and winter, although common viruses have been thrown out of sync by the [COVID-19](https://www.healthwords.ai/condition/covid-19-coronavirus!9787ecb6-c926-4ab4-a2e9-481973b2416d) pandemic, where we weren’t mixing as usual, with lockdowns, limited social or work interaction and with mandatory mask-wearing.

It’s thought that our immune system needs to keep meeting these common viruses to keep us protected, and during the pandemic, this immunity was lost to an extent. So as doctors, we’ve been seeing [coughs](https://www.healthwords.ai/treatment/coughs-how-to-soothe-symptoms-and-when-to-worry!a76cd4fb-1061-4d31-96d7-cc33ebcc3ae9) and colds during the summer in the last couple of years, when this would have previously been very rare.

Dr Kandi - Common cold

It’s that time of year - the temperature goes down, the heating gets turned up, and people start to sniffle and sneeze with [colds](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/common-cold!ebd5ae17-c08e-4512-89b7-01bf02733274) and [flu](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/flu!3381af24-b0d2-430e-adc1-a81aabaafffc)\-like illnesses.

It doesn’t help that there are over 200 different cold viruses and it’s likely that most of us will catch at least one or two colds every year. A dry, scratchy [sore throat](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/sore-throat-triggers-and-treatments-to-soothe-and-repair!ac601208-1004-473b-8a6b-3f6c7f327be3) is often the first sign followed by a runny nose, fatigue and loss of appetite.

Flu, by contrast, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by the [influenza](https://www.healthwords.ai/condition/influenza!d279e148-1f60-4339-8259-7e5ef21c36cb) virus and each year up to 15 percent of us will catch flu. Unlike a cold, the symptoms start suddenly and are more severe – high [fever](https://www.healthwords.ai/symptom/high-temperature-fever!6df402fd-19f9-4d1f-9c4e-e0b677098d0c), extreme fatigue and aches are all common traits.

Colds and flu are highly contagious. The virus is airborne, so every time a sufferer coughs, sneezes or talks, germs are spread. The virus can also be transferred by hand contact, so it’s important to wash your hands regularly.

Certain vaccinations are recommended in pregnancy, to boost the immunity of both yourself and your baby against certain infections.  

During pregnancy, a woman’s immune system is usually weakened as it is diverted to protecting the baby. Some are boosters of vaccinations you may have had in childhood.  

There are certain vaccinations that are safe and some which pose a risk – your practice nurse, midwife or doctor can talk you through this. Any potential risk posed by a vaccine is considerably less than getting the infection itself. 

The tetanus [vaccine](https://www.healthwords.ai/treatment/vaccine!9ded28ff-c35e-4ccc-b83b-71784963b7c3) protects against a potentially life-threatening bacteria called Clostridium tetani that releases the [tetanus](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/tetanus!4ff659ed-95db-4fa3-a1ec-4e503502ab38) toxin. This bacteria is found in the environment in soil or manure worldwide and enters the body via any scratches, puncture wounds, burns or other skin breaks. It’s a significant cause of neonatal death in some African countries, but part of the vaccination programme is offered to all babies in the UK.

Symptoms of tetanus toxin infection include muscle spasms and stiffness or rigidity. This stiffness affects the jaw (causing lockjaw) and neck first, before affecting the rest of the body, and usually requiring life support.

The paromyxovirus virus causes the viral infection known as mumps, which is very contagious, and considered to be a disease of childhood, although numbers have significantly reduced since the MMR vaccine was introduced - a combined vaccine given in several doses in early childhood protecting against [measles](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/measles!66b80dd7-56ea-408f-b964-b2367d027560), mumps and rubella. Mumps is therefore now most common in children who have not received the MMR vaccine as having the vaccine reduces the risk of getting mumps by around 85%.

Just like the viruses causing colds and flu, mumps is easily spread from infected saliva or mucus in the mouth, nose or throat and can be inhaled or picked up from contaminated surfaces and transferred to the mouth or nose.

The most common symptom of mumps is a swelling of the parotid salivary gland in front of the ear, usually affecting just one side of the face, and giving a characteristic ‘hamster’ appearance, known as parotitis. These [swollen glands](https://www.healthwords.ai/symptom/swollen-glands!1402efb8-098a-4269-b8db-cf0034c110ba) usually last for 5-8 days before settling down.

A few days before this swelling appears, people can also experience high temperatures, headaches and muscle aches. For this reason, people are most infectious a few days before the symptoms develop and for a few days after. About a quarter of people with mumps experience no symptoms and most children with mumps are back to normal after 10 days.

Do I need a tetanus vaccine after an accident or injury?

Tetanus is a rare but serious and potentially life-threatening condition. The [tetanus vaccination](https://www.healthwords.ai/treatment/tetanus-injection!8eec1965-a783-489a-84d0-2f3f550d60fc) is given five times over the course of the NHS childhood vaccination programme. If completed, then it is said to give individuals lifelong protection against [tetanus](https://www.healthwords.ai/condition/tetanus!4ff659ed-95db-4fa3-a1ec-4e503502ab38). Therefore, if you have completed the schedule and had an injury that puts you at risk, you will not need any further doses.

However, if there is any uncertainty about whether you have completed your vaccination schedule and you have injured yourself and broken the skin, then you may need to receive a booster dose.

Dr Roger Henderson

Chief Content Officer

The NHS runs an efficient vaccination programme every autumn to roll out [flu](https://www.healthwords.ai/condition/flu!3381af24-b0d2-430e-adc1-a81aabaafffc) vaccines to those that need them. These include people in certain categories that make them vulnerable to severe illness if they catch the [influenza](https://www.healthwords.ai/condition/influenza!d279e148-1f60-4339-8259-7e5ef21c36cb) virus and which can then cause breathing difficulties, [pneumonia](https://www.healthwords.ai/condition/pneumonia!0e28494a-070e-4c75-87fe-23d8d66ba177), sepsis and death. 

The [flu vaccine](https://www.healthwords.ai/article/flu-vaccine-101!f268ffb9-7a92-4fff-937b-a1961d411e81) is also prioritised for health care workers for two reasons: firstly so they don't pass on the virus to their patients, and secondly so they don't become unwell and require time off sick. 

Flu vaccine - who gets it?

Doctor’s advice

Who gets the flu vaccine on the NHS?

Why can’t everyone get it?

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COVID-19 vaccine – checklist before you get your jab

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