The Health Service Executive has launched its flu vaccination programme today, saying 'Don't let the flu get to you'.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke, the Interim Director of the HSE's Health Protection Surveillance Centre, Dr John Cuddihy, answered commonly asked questions about the flu vaccine.
When does the flu season begin?
‘The flu season would have started, it usually runs from the beginning of October into the middle of May, so we are seeing sporadic cases already, but ... the launch is today we are encouraging people, particularly in at-risk groups, like people who have chronic medical conditions, people who are aged 65 and over, pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy and of course healthcare workers to avail of the flu vaccine.’
What about people outside those groups?
'There have been significant increases particularly in our healthcare workers over the last three or four seasons, to 52% of hospital based health care workers and about 43% of the long-term care and facilities but there is room for improvement. I suppose those risk groups are more likely to be affected by the complications of flu, so they are particularly targeted, but carers of people who have chronic illnesses will also be advised to avail of the vaccine.'
Is there a chance of contracting the flu from getting the flu vaccine?
'The flu vaccine doesn't contain any live flu virus, so it can’t possibly cause the flu. It does take between 10 and 14 days before the flu vaccine kicks in, so if somebody develops another virus or bad cold during that time, they may mistake that the vaccine has caused the flu but that’s not the case.’
This year’s vaccine protects against four different types of the most common forms of flu as opposed to 3 from previous years?
‘It’s called a quadrivalent vaccine, so it has the four types that the WHO or the World Health Organization has advised are most likely to be circulating. So there is greater effectiveness of this year’s flu vaccine compared to previously.’
Are you still susceptible to other viruses and bugs if you get the flu vaccine?
‘That is correct but the flu is a more serious illness in that it can cause complications like pneumonia. Every year in Ireland we see between 200 and 500 flu-related deaths and in a severe season, it could be up to a thousand. So a common cold is fairly self-limiting but the typical flu, where it comes on suddenly with a high temperature, muscle aches and headaches can have serious complications. That is the reason we are particularly encouraging the people in at risk groups to get protected and I suppose particularly health care workers who are caring for those at risk groups as well.’
Is there vaccine for pneumonia and would you encourage people to avail of it?
‘The people who have these medical conditions and everyone aged 65 and over should speak to their GP or pharmacist about the pneumococcal vaccine, that’s the one against pneumonia, most people only need to get it once and it is certainly effective in preventing this complication, namely pneumonia.’
How long into the flu season will you know that these four strains of flu protected against this vaccine are the right ones to have targeted?
‘After the first few weeks of laboratory data, we will have an indication what the sera type of flu is and then we’ll be able to say how effectively the vaccine matches that is, but the four viruses in this quadrivalent vaccine, we’ll be expecting the effectiveness to quite good.’
What percentage of people over the age of 65 have taken the advice and got the vaccine?
‘In the season gone, the uptake rate was 68.5%, so that’s the highest recording that we have had to date. So I think the message is getting through to the public that the flu vaccine is a simple yet effective and safe way to prevent illness.’
Why is there such a difference in the uptake of the flu vaccine from healthcare workers to those over 65?
‘I suppose one thing to say over the last three seasons, we have seen an increase across all categories of healthcare workers but I would say it isn’t high enough. The target we’ve set is 65% and we want to get over that. Ideally anybody working in a health care setting should take the flu vaccine.’
Why are healthcare workers so reluctant to get the vaccine?
‘There have been a number of studies and what we’ve done is taken the results of those studies and tried to address those concerns in the promotional material that the National Immunisation Office and across the country there are public health specialists who are doing educational sessions with healthcare workers.
‘Some healthcare workers feel that they’re perhaps healthy and if they get the flu they’ll stay out of work, but it is important to say that you are contagious with flu for 1-2 days before you develop symptoms, so we’re trying to get that message across that you are unknowingly infecting people before you actually develop the flu symptoms.’
