Think about the flu jab

IT’S DARK, wet, and horribly cold — which means flu season is looming. Those at high risk of getting very ill from it — including the elderly, diabetics, toddlers and pregnant women — will have already received their vaccination on the NHS. But considering the jab costs under £15 at high street chemists, it’s something everyone might consider.

More and more I come across people who opt into the flu jab without an obvious need. For many patients I meet, “social” not medical reasons make the flu jab necessary for them. For example, if they can’t afford time off work, if they are self-employed or if they just don’t want the inconvenience of the flu. On their terms, the vaccination is necessary, just not for the medical reasons usually cited.

You could argue that it is better to avoid the unnecessary medicine and let nature take its course. If you are not in the high risk categories, then the chances of serious sequelae from flu are very small so it is a low risk strategy.

In someone healthy, the immune system is designed to protect us and fight an illness such as flu without any problem and that is what generally happens.

However, it is not always convenient to let nature take its course — when nature can take 10 days with flu — and this can have a huge impact on people’s work and therefore wellbeing.

We must remember that all medicines have side effects. The most common side effects for the flu jab are nausea, tummy upset, fever, headache and muscle pains. Any jab can be associated with pain, redness and swelling at the site. There are also rarer side effects and in some cases people have an allergic reaction to the jab. But this is unusual. In general the flu jab is well-tolerated.

The main downside I think, is that you still have a chance of getting the flu, as the vaccine only contains the three most severe strains. I find anecdotally a lot of patients complain to me about that, as they are disappointed and surprised when they succumb to something they thought they were protected against.

‘In some cases people have an allergic reaction to the flu jab. But this is unusual’

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