• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Free flu jab offered to record numbers this year

I'm sure they do, I'm not sure I understand what your point is?
Bulk buy is cheaper but in this case a benefit, for all.
No real point though. I guess I'm impressed that everyone will hv a chance to be immunated.
Even those not even diagnosed prediabetic or diabetic yet.
A huge amount of carers these days to.
It is a benefit which myself cannot afford to pass up. I'd be idiotic in fact. My GP wouldn't be very pleased if I became hospitalised due to refusing their support.
We are all different and have different support needs.
I would never push my needs on someone else. That is wrong.
Adults can be trusted to evaluate their own preferential needs. GPS are paid to evaluate the support available.
Medically I go with my care giver unless I fundamentally know its not beneficial, FOR ME.
Thankful we live in a country with that freedom.
 
Do you not get the flu jab then?
We are all different. Many of us are sheep when it's known to benefit the many. It's worth evaluating whether you are unusual, unusual enough to avoid flu considering how highly contagious it is and whether this year's jab is targetting the most common flu viruses.
Some just ride on the backs of those immunised and take their chances.
 
Nope... I do my best to stay away from the general population as far as possible.

I had the experience of seeing my mother get ill for a minimum of a month every single year that she had the jab.

So far as I am aware its effectiveness is limited so why bother?

Not a good experience for your mother and I can certainly see why you do not have it.
I have had it for numerous years now and have not had any side effects from the jab itself nor have I had the flu either. I guess we are all so very different
 
I have been getting a free fluvax for nearly twenty years as I have a COPD here in Australia, I have never got the flue or flu type symptoms with any of the vax needles in this time.
 
Nope... I do my best to stay away from the general population.

I had the experience of seeing my mother get ill for a minimum of a month every single year that she had the jab.

So far as I am aware its effectiveness is limited so why bother?

Do you stay in your house and never risk going out in the winter so as not to come into contact with the virus. I am sure if the effectiveness of it was limited the NHS would not spend the money on it every year. Side effects from it are very rare and it seems like your mother was allergic to the vaccine and perhaps should not have been given it.
 
My elderly dad had the flu vaccine ( I took him to the clinic, then later on as he got a little frail, his doctor gave it to him with his checks up's) and as he got older one dose of the pneumococcal vaccine, he never had flu in his whole life.
 
Last edited:
Yes, flu can be a killer. I never got the flu even though I went years and years with diabetes without the jab. But, when I became a carer for my elderly dad, I decided to get the flu jab too. It's my choice, so I will get it, especially as I was very ill last year, so prevention is better than cure. There are so many different strains around the world and we have epidemics in the past. My young granddaughter had a strain of swine flu and it was a very worrying time as she was so young,
Edited to add - granddaughter was a baby then:(

As in this earlier post, my then baby granddaughter contracted a strain of Swine flu, so could this of possibly started off a trigger reaction with her being with diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was just 2 yrs, it makes me wonder ?
 
I have been getting a free fluvax for nearly twenty years as I have a COPD here in Australia, I have never got the flue or flu type symptoms with any of the vax needles in this time.
In the UK I believe they decide which strains of the flu virus to include in the vaccination from the strains prevalent in Australia the previous winter. Presumably infection travels around the world with the seasons. Do you know how they decide in Australia?
 
In the UK I believe they decide which strains of the flu virus to include in the vaccination from the strains prevalent in Australia the previous winter. Presumably infection travels around the world with the seasons. Do you know how they decide in Australia?
@Mr_Pot,This might give you a insight...

https://www.tga.gov.au/community-qa...e-production-and-regulatory-approval-timeline

Edit: I just updated the link in my sig as it was last years still.

https://www.tga.gov.au/alert/2019-seasonal-influenza-vaccines
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Nope... I do my best to stay away from the general population as far as possible.

I had the experience of seeing my mother get ill for a minimum of a month every single year that she had the jab.

So far as I am aware its effectiveness is limited so why bother?

Yes, that is exactly my experience, and decision process.
I would be queuing up for the pneumonia jab (low mutation rate of virus, and longterm efficacy of vaccination) but I will leave the flu jab well alone. Family history of illness and reactions following the injection, plus the questionable efficacy of it, and vast cost to the NHS.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/flu-vaccine-effectiveness-in-2017-to-2018-season
 
Last edited:
Presumably somewhat offset by the reduction in hospital admissions.

Well, I would love to see the figures on that, it you can come up with them.

I'm not sure they would influence my decision in the slightest, but it would be very interesting to see them.
 
I have no intention of getting a flu jab at this time. That's the extent of my input :cool:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I personally know two "anti fluvaxers" that ended up in hospital this winter in Australia, they caught the A strain variety.

I bet they get vaccinated next year... :meh:
 
I ended up in intensive care for a week after getting flu, being so ill I missed a couple of doses of Lantus and having almost fatal DKA. Going for my job on Saturday.
 
Back
Top