The flu vaccine is safe and effective. It helps to protect you from flu. The best time to get the flu vaccine is before the flu season starts.
It's available from October to April each year.
Where to get the flu vaccine
You can get a flu vaccine from your GP surgery or pharmacy when it is available.
You can get the flu vaccine where you live if you:
- live in a nursing home
- are housebound
How it's given
For adults, the flu vaccine is given as an injection into your arm.
Children get the flu vaccine as a spray into their nose (nasal spray).
Who can get a free flu vaccine
You can get a free flu vaccine if you are:
- age 65 and older
- age 2 to 17
- a healthcare worker
- pregnant
- living in a nursing home or other long-term care facility
- in regular contact with pigs, poultry or waterfowl
- someone with a health condition that puts you at higher risk of flu (age 6 months and older)
- living with someone who has a health condition that puts them at higher risk of flu
- a carer for someone who has a health condition that puts them at higher risk of flu
Who is a carer?
A carer is someone who provides an ongoing, significant level of care to someone who is in need of care in the home due to illness, disability or frailty.
Free flu vaccines will not be offered to people who live with:
- people age 65 and older, who do not also have a chronic health condition
- pregnant women
- children age 2 to 17
- healthcare workers
- carers
If you cannot get a free flu vaccine
If you cannot get a free flu vaccine, you can still get one at a pharmacy or GP surgery. But you will need to pay for it.
When the flu vaccine starts to work
It takes 2 weeks for the vaccine to work. It should protect you for the whole flu season.
Side effects
After the vaccine, you may have some mild side effects.
These may include:
- soreness, redness or swelling where you got the injection
- fever (high temperature - 38 degrees Celsius or above)
- mild sweating and shivering
- headaches
- aches
- feeling tired
If you have any of these side effects, rest and take paracetamol.
Serious side effects
Serious side effects such as a severe allergic reaction are rare.
In very rare cases Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has been reported. GBS is a condition that affects the nerves in the body. It causes nerve inflammation and can cause pain, numbness, muscle weakness and difficulty walking. You are far more likely to get Guillain-Barré syndrome from having the flu than from the flu vaccine.
Report harmful side effects to the Health Products Regulatory Authority - hpra.ie
Flu vaccine and COVID-19 booster
The flu vaccine and the COVID-19 booster are 2 separate vaccines.
You can get can both at the same time if you are due a COVID-19 booster dose.
All HSE immunisation programmes follow the recommendations of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC).