Influenza
2017 Influenza VACCINES...
Influenza vaccine stocks provided by the Department of Health are likely to be available in mid-April this year. At Dubbo Family Doctors, we will be commencing our 'flu clinics' as soon as these vaccines arrive.
If you would like to be kept informed as to when our influenza vaccines are available, and you are currently a patient at our practice, please register your email address by clicking on the 'I have been to this practice before' button on our Appointuit webpage Click here to go to the Appointuit login page. We will then be able to send you an email to let you know when you can come in for your influenza immunisation.
WHAT IS INFLUENZA?
Influenza, commonly called ‘the flu’, is a contagious disease caused by a virus which spreads easily from person to person.
Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, runny nose and watery eyes. Although the fever and body aches usually last for 3-5 days, coughing and fatigue can persist for 2 weeks or more.
HOW DOES THE VACCINE WORK?
Influenza vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about 2 weeks after vaccination. These antibodies provide protection against infection with the viruses that are in the vaccine.
HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE INFLUENZA VACCINE?
The influenza vaccine provides a good level of protection which is 70-90% effective in healthy adults. It is important to know that it takes around 2 weeks after vaccination for a person to develop protection against influenza infection. Also, the influenza vaccine does not protect against respiratory illness caused by other viruses, such as the common cold.
CAN I CATCH INFLUENZA FROM THE VACCINE?
No, it is impossible to ‘catch’ influenza fromn the vaccine. The influenza vaccines contains only ‘killed’, inactivated virus particles. Because the virus particles are not live, they cannot spread through your respiratory system or cause illness like the real virus.
I WANT TO 'GET IN EARLY' FOR MY INFLUENZA IMMUNISATION. WHY WON'T THE INFLUENZA VACCINE BE AVAILABLE BEFORE APRIL?
Professor Ross Andrews, chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, says that while there is often a push for people to 'get in early' to have their flu shot, theres no evidence that early vaccination is best.
"We think flu vaccine lasts for 12 months but more than likely the best protection is in the earlier months, for three, four or five months... If you're expecting flu is going to hit in August, then March is too early [for vaccination]."
WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT INFLUENZA IMMUNISATION?
The Immunise Australia website has reliable and easy-to-read information about influenza immunisations. For more detailed information, click here and remember – your GP is also a good source of information if you have further questions about the influenza immunisation.