Over 65 flu vaccination Checklist 2006/27

The flu vaccine is recommended for people at higher risk of getting seriously ill from flu. It’s offered on the NHS every year in autumn or winter.

Having the flu vaccine at the same time as other vaccines

You can have the flu vaccine at the same time as other vaccines such as the COVID-19 and shingles vaccines.

It’s not usually given at the same time as the RSV vaccine, but you can have them at the same time if a doctor or nurse thinks it’s needed.

You should not receive Adjuvanted Trivalent Influenza Vaccine Seqirus –

If you are allergic to

• the active ingredients or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed below)

• egg or chicken proteins (such as ovalbumin), kanamycin and neomycin sulphate, formaldehyde,

cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and hydrocortisone, which are trace residues from

the manufacturing process.- If you have had a severe allergic reaction (e.g. anaphylaxis) to previous influenza vaccination

Ingredients

0.5 ml dose: squalene (9.75 mg), polysorbate 80

(1.175 mg), sorbitan trioleate (1.175 mg), sodium citrate (0.66 mg) and citric acid (0.04 mg).

10 The other ingredients are: sodium chloride, potassium chloride, potassium dihydrogen

phosphate, disodium phosphate dihydrate, magnesium chloride hexahydrate, calcium chloride

dihydrate and water for injections.

Side effects of the flu vaccine

The most common side effects of the flu vaccine are mild and get better within 1 to 2 days.

They can include:

pain or soreness where the injection was given

a slightly raised temperature

an aching body

More serious side effects such as a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) are very rare. The person who vaccinates you will be trained to deal with allergic reactions and treat them immediately.

The injected flu vaccines used in the UK do not contain live flu viruses. They cannot give you flu. The vaccine usually takes up to 14 days to work.