Is it too late to get a flu shot?

It is nearly spring. And whereas respiratory infections appear to have handed their peak many individuals are nonetheless getting sick.

So is it nonetheless price getting a flu shot?

The quick reply is “sure.” If you have not had one already this yr, it is not too late.

Flu season began early, might finish late

Flu seasons are notoriously unpredictable. Temperature swings, inhabitants immunity, and new viral strains are amongst components influencing how broadly the virus spreads.

Australia’s flu season normally runs from April to October, peaking between June and September.

However this yr was completely different. It began early. Laboratory-confirmed instances between January and March 2025 have been nearly 60% greater than the identical interval in 2024. Since then, numbers have dipped barely in comparison with final yr.

Nonetheless, we might nonetheless see hundreds extra instances earlier than 2025 ends if the season follows final yr’s sample, and extends effectively past October.

This yr, influenza A has been the dominant pressure throughout all age teams. Assume of influenza A because the extra frequent, shortly evolving sort of flu that always triggers bigger, extra extreme outbreaks. The opposite fundamental sort, influenza B, evolves extra slowly and normally causes milder sickness, though it will probably nonetheless be severe, particularly for kids.

Is it nonetheless price getting vaccinated in August?

Completely. Whereas flu exercise normally declines after July, the variety of laboratory-confirmed instances of flu exhibits the virus does nonetheless flow into exterior the everyday flu season.

In the event you’ve already had flu this yr, pure an infection presents some safety. However that is typically much less dependable and narrower than vaccination. Pure an infection can’t reliably present immunity in older individuals, who’ve a a lot poorer immune response to an infection. For youthful individuals, though their immune system mounts a powerful response, it’s towards the precise influenza pressure that has contaminated them, and offers little safety towards different strains. This is the reason vaccination is preferable.

In case you are nonetheless sick with the flu, present suggestions are that it’s best to wait till you might be recovered earlier than getting a flu shot. This enables your immune system to generate a powerful response to the vaccine.

As soon as vaccinated, it takes about two weeks to develop immunity. Safety is strongest within the first few months.

Pregnant ladies and worldwide vacationers can profit from vaccination at any time of yr.

How effectively do they work?

Effectiveness of flu vaccines varies yr to yr, relying on how effectively the vaccine strains match these going round. This season, the match seems glorious—a few 98% match (for key strains).

Nonetheless, the vaccine would not fully defend you from getting contaminated (no vaccine does). It’s because ranges of immunity and our response to an infection differ from individual to individual.

Flu vaccines are typically 40%–60% efficient towards experiencing a detrimental well being final result, for instance, growing the flu and attending a GP follow or being hospitalized.

So vaccination towards the flu is especially necessary for high-risk teams akin to aged individuals, younger youngsters, pregnant ladies, and folks with persistent (long-term) situations.

Are they protected?

Knowledge about vaccine security are reassuring. Based on AusVaxSafety, a surveillance system that displays vaccine security, to date in 2025 greater than 114,000 individuals have reported their expertise after a flu shot, and 83% had no adversarial reactions inside three days of their shot.

The commonest have been delicate and short-lived, akin to a sore arm, headache or fatigue. Solely 0.2% wanted to see a physician.

You can’t catch the flu from the vaccine itself. It’s because it comprises an inactivated or “killed” model of the virus. This implies it isn’t dwell and can’t trigger an infection.

Which flu vaccine ought to I get?

All flu vaccines in Australia this yr are quadrivalent, which suggests they defend towards 4 strains.

For individuals with egg allergy symptoms, there is a newer choice referred to as Flucelvax Quad, which is produced in mammalian cells as a substitute of rooster eggs. There are additionally particular, higher-dose formulations for older adults, akin to Fluad Quad for these 65 and older, and Fluzone Excessive-Dose Quadrivalent for these 60 and over.

Your well being care supplier will talk about the best choice for you.

Is it free?

Beneath the Nationwide Immunization Program, the flu vaccine is free for:

• youngsters aged six months to underneath 5 years
• pregnant ladies
• adults aged 65 and over
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals from six months of age
• individuals with sure medical situations, akin to coronary heart illness or with weakened immunity.

Everybody else will pay about A$20–30 at GPs or pharmacies. In case your GP doesn’t bulk invoice, you might also have to pay an out-of-pocket price for the session.

At the moment, Queensland is the one state providing free flu vaccination to all ages over six months. However that program ends on September 30.

So what is the verdict?

The underside line is that it is not too late to get vaccinated. At the same time as winter eases, getting a flu shot could make an actual distinction, defending each you and the individuals round you from severe sickness.

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