Flu (influenza), seasonal

Seasonal flu jab

Regular immunisation (vaccination) is given free of charge to the following at-risk people, to protect them from seasonal flu:

• people aged 65 or over,
• people with a serious medical condition
• people living in a residential or nursing home,
• the main carers for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer becomes ill,
• healthcare or social care professionals directly involved in patient care, and
• those who work in close contact with poultry, such as chickens.

For more information on flu immunisation, including background information on the vaccine and how you can get the jab, see Seasonal flu jab.

Antiviral medication

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends the antiviral medicines oseltamivir and zanamivir to prevent flu if all of the following apply:

• The amount of flu virus circulating is sufficient to mean that if someone has a flu-like illness, it is likely to have been caused by this flu virus.
• The person has a certain medical condition or is over 65.
• The person has been in contact with someone with a flu-like illness and can start treatment within 36 hours (zanamivir) or within 48 hours (oseltamivir).
• The person has not been effectively protected by vaccination (see below).

People who are not effectively protected by vaccination include:

• Those who have not been vaccinated since the previous winter.
• Those who cannot be vaccinated, or who have been vaccinated but it has not taken effect yet.
• Those who have been vaccinated for a different form of flu virus.

If there is an outbreak of seasonal flu in a residential or nursing home, oseltamivir and zanamivir may be offered to people if they have been in contact with someone with confirmed flu. This is because these homes are closed places in which flu can spread quickly.

See Treatment for more information on oseltamivir and zanamivir.

Glossary

Chronic

Chronic usually means a condition that continues for a long time or keeps coming back.

Immune system

The immune system is the body's defence system, which helps protect it from disease, bacteria and viruses.

Liver

The liver is the largest organ in the body. Its main jobs are to secrete bile (to help digestion), detoxify the blood and change food into energy.

Kidney

Kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs located at the back of the abdomen, which remove waste and extra fluid from the blood and pass them out of the body as urine.

Heart

The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood around the body.

Vaccination

Vaccination or immunisation is usually given by an injection that makes the body's immune system produce antibodies that will fight off a virus.