Changes to flu vaccine delay immunisations

The flu vaccination will be unavailable until April in Northland.

The roll out of free flu jabs for some sectors of the Northland community has been delayed for three weeks.

In an attempt to have a more effective flu vaccine, changes have had to be made to the vaccine components, which has caused a delay of around three weeks.

As a result, the publicly-funded influenza vaccine will be available in early April instead of March, Northland medical officer of health Shirley Crawshaw said.

The influenza virus is always changing so each year's vaccine has to keep pace. This year there was a mismatch in the northern hemisphere, so the vaccine used there was only partly effective, Dr Crawshaw said.

"Because influenza-like illnesses are likely to increase sometime in May/June we recommend that if you are eligible for free vaccine you should make a note on your calendar to follow up with your GP in April and make an appointment for the immunisation," she said.

Those eligible for the free publicly-funded influenza vaccine are people aged 65 and over with cardiac and respiratory conditions, and all high risk children; and those under 65 with other medical conditions, including pregnant women.

Influenza, or "flu", can be a serious illness - it is more than a "bad cold". Anyone can catch it. Even fit and healthy people could get it and get very sick, Dr Crawshaw said.

"Some people can end up in hospital and some die because the disease can make other conditions, such as breathing or heart problems, even worse."

Immunisation cannot give you the flu because it does not contain live viruses. There can be side effects, but these usually disappear within one or two days by themselves. Dr Crawshaw said the seriousness of flu should not be underestimated.

"Even a moderate dose of flu can stop you from working, studying or enjoying other activities for a week or more," she said. "And some people feel tired for weeks afterwards."