'It isn't too late': why you should still get the flu vaccine

Australian medical experts say it is still not too late to get the flu vaccine as concerns rise over a death toll attributed to the illness.

More than 220 Australians have died from the flu this year. On Thursday, Victorian health authorities announced that 43-year-old James Day, from Traralgon, had died after a week in hospital from flu complications.

In NSW, seven people died in a week, between June 16 and 23. In May, doctors confirmed that 68 people had already died from flu and 40,000 had been infected before winter had begun.

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The number of infections in May was three times higher than it typically is at this time of year. Initial infections began as early as January – at the height of summer – sparking fears of a year-long flu season. Experts are now predicting 4,000 people could die by the end of 2019.

The safest way to gain protection from the flu is to get vaccinated. Guardian Australia spoke to health experts and NSW Health about common questions around the vaccine.

Is it too late to get vaccinated?

“No, not at all,” a NSW Health spokeswoman says. “Getting the flu jab now will reduce your risk of catching the potentially lethal virus by half.”

“It isn’t too late,” adds Kanta Subbarao, director of the World Health Organisation research centre into influenza in Melbourne.

“There is a lot of influenza in the community and we really don’t know whether it has peaked yet or how long it will continue. A typical flu season can go into October or September, so it is not too late to get the vaccine.”

Can the flu vaccine make you ill?

No. Subbaro says this is a common myth and there is “no risk” that it can give you the flu.

“That is absolutely not true. The vaccine that is administered in Australia is an inactivated virus. The virus is killed before it is administered.

“The most that you can have is a bit of a sore arm. But you cannot get influenza from the vaccine.

“Those claims are urban myth,” says NSW Health. “You cannot get sick by getting immunised.”

How long does it take to activate and how long does it last?

It will take about two weeks for the vaccine to give you full protection, but after that, it will last the whole flu season. It won’t last longer than a year.

Is this flu season really worse than usual?

All indications are that it is.

“There was an unprecedented number of summer flu cases, which has so far continued into the winter months,” says NSW Health.

“It is concerning,” Subbaro says. “The number of notifications in Australia are much higher than usual. We’ve had an earlier start to the influenza season and it has continued in all jurisdictions.”

“We had a very severe influenza season in 2017. We haven’t exceeded that yet but it is very early in the year. It is on track to be similar to 2017.”

Should I get the flu shot?

Yes, especially if you are young, elderly or have an underlying medical condition – or wish to protect someone who is young, elderly or has a condition.

“115 children have been admitted to Children’s Hospital Westmead with flu this year, including two needing critical care, and we encourage parents to vaccinate their children as soon as possible,” NSW Health says.

“People who are in regular contact with vulnerable people, such as the elderly or infants, reduce the chance of exposing others to flu by being vaccinated.”

Flu shots are free for pregnant women, people over 65, Aboriginal people and those with medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart problems.

Subbaro also adds that medicine is available by prescription for those who catch the flu and those who are vulnerable.

“People should keep in mind that there are antiviral drugs that can be used to treat influenza.”